US, coalition partners conclude military mission in Iraq: Pentagon

The US and its coalition partners have formally concluded Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq, Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said Wednesday.

In a statement, Parnell said the conclusion was consistent with the September 2024 US-Iraq joint statement and US national interests.

The “orderly departure” of coalition forces and equipment from Erbil Air Base marked the “successful conclusion” of the military mission that defeated ISIS in Iraq, he said.

“This milestone reflects the success of a 12-year campaign that defeated ISIS as an organized military threat in Iraq and across the region,” Parnell said.

He said the development also “marks a transition from a wartime coalition mission to an Iraqi-led security effort supported by a more normal bilateral security relationship.”

“We expect the Iraqi Security Forces, including the Peshmerga and other security forces in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, to lead the continuing effort to secure Iraq and keep ISIS remnants suppressed,” Parnell said.

The Department of War will continue to provide “targeted training and intelligence support” to Iraqi partners, he added.

“The primary responsibility for addressing Iraq’s remaining security challenges, including ISIS remnants and Iran-aligned militias that undermine Iraqi sovereignty and regional stability, now rests with the Government of Iraq,” Parnell said.

“The United States remains committed to counterterrorism” and will continue to work with Iraq and its partners to ensure ISIS “can never reconstitute from Iraqi territory,” he added.

Parnell said the US supports “a strong sovereign Iraq” that secures its borders, protects its people and serves as the foundation for “deeper commercial, diplomatic, and security cooperation” between the two countries.

Baghdad and Washington agreed in September 2024 to end the coalition’s military mission in Iraq under a timetable extending through the end of September 2026, with a transition to bilateral security relations between Iraq and coalition member states.

The coalition was formed under US leadership in 2014 after ISIS seized large areas of Iraq and Syria, providing Iraqi forces with air, intelligence and training support during operations against the group.

Iraq announced in December 2017 that it had regained full control of territory seized by ISIS.

ANEWS wp:paragraph