Pentagon: US-led Coalition ends 12-year mission in Iraq
Shafaq News- Washington
The United States and its Coalition partners formally ended Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq on Wednesday, concluding a 12-year military mission against ISIS, the Pentagon announced.
Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed that Coalition forces and equipment had completed their departure from Erbil Air Base in line with the September 2024 US-Iraq joint statement.
The withdrawal “marks a transition from a wartime coalition mission to an Iraqi-led security effort,” with the Iraqi Security Forces, including the Peshmerga and other forces in the Kurdistan Region, taking the lead in containing remaining ISIS elements.
Read more: Kurdistan Region faces air-defense gap as US troops leave Iraq
Washington, Parnell said, will continue providing targeted training and intelligence support while maintaining counterterrorism cooperation aimed at preventing the group from reestablishing itself in the country.
“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 stated, reaffirming US support for Iraq’s sovereignty and border security alongside broader commercial, diplomatic, and security ties.
