‘Military mission that defeated ISIS’ ends: Why US-led coalition is leaving Iraq after 12 years | Today’s news
After more than a decade of military operations, the US-led coalition has formally ended its mission in Iraq, marking the end of the campaign launched in 2014 to defeat the Islamic State (IS), according to the Pentagon.
“Today, the United States and our coalition partners formally concluded Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
The Pentagon said the withdrawal of coalition forces and equipment from Erbil Air Base marked the completion of the military mission to defeat IS as an organized military threat in Iraq.
Why did the US-led coalition leave Iraq?
The coalition was deployed to Iraq and Syria in 2014 after IS seized large areas of both countries and allegedly committed mass killings and atrocities.
IS was defeated territorially in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019. However, coalition forces remained in the region to target remnants of the group and support local security forces.
The United States and Iraq agreed to end the coalition military mission in September 2024. Coalition forces subsequently withdrew from bases throughout Iraq, eventually concentrating their presence in the Kurdistan region.
The Pentagon said Iraqi security forces, including the Peshmerga and other forces in the Kurdistan region, will now take the lead in suppressing IS remnants.
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After the end of the coalition mission, the Pentagon said that the primary responsibility for solving Iraq’s remaining security problems now rests with the Iraqi government.
Those challenges include IS remnants as well as militias linked to Iran, which Washington says are undermining Iraqi sovereignty and regional stability.
The US said it would continue to provide targeted training and intelligence support to Iraqi partners.
“The United States remains committed to the fight against terrorism,” the Pentagon said, adding that Washington would continue to work with Iraq and other partners to prevent IS from regaining Iraqi territory.
Iraq seeks greater control over armed groups
The coalition’s departure also comes as Baghdad seeks to strengthen state control over weapons held by powerful armed factions.
Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has pledged to strengthen the state’s arms monopoly and encourage armed groups to surrender their weapons.
His government initially set a September 30 deadline for the factions to disarm, but later withdrew it as talks continued about how the groups’ weapons could come under state control, AFP reports.
Several powerful factions have opposed disarmament, and negotiations on the issue continue.
The presence of US-led coalition forces has become increasingly contested after IS lost its territorial strongholds.
The withdrawal therefore removes a major point of friction between US- and Iran-aligned armed groups in Iraq, although the issue of weapons outside state control remains unresolved.
The Pentagon said Iraqi security forces would lead efforts to secure the country and prevent IS remnants from resurgent.
The US also said it supported a “strong, sovereign Iraq” capable of securing its borders and protecting its population, with the end of the coalition’s war-fighting mission paving the way for deeper trade, diplomatic and security cooperation between Washington and Baghdad.
The end of the mission in Iraq follows the coalition’s earlier withdrawal from Syria and represents another major step in ending the military campaign against IS that began in 2014.
