The U.S. military declared an end Wednesday to its Iraq-based anti-ISIS mission, saying all U.S.-led coalition forces and equipment had withdrawn from Erbil Air Base under a prior agreement with Baghdad, CBS News, CENTCOM, Task & Purpose, and Deutsche Welle reported. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell called the departure the successful conclusion of a 12-year campaign that defeated ISIS as an organized military threat in Iraq and a transition to an Iraqi-led effort with a more normal bilateral security relationship.

Operation Inherent Resolve began in 2014 after ISIS seized large parts of Iraq and Syria. Coalition airstrikes and advise-and-assist teams later helped Iraqi forces reclaim Mosul and other cities. Roughly 2,000 Americans were in Iraq as of early 2026; earlier this year U.S. troops also left Syria. The 2024 U.S.–Iraq plan had aimed to end the coalition mission on this timetable. The United States says it will keep targeted training and intelligence support, while Combined Joint Task Force–OIR continues counter-ISIS work from Jordan for Syria. Baghdad declared a “Sovereignty Day” holiday as convoys left Erbil.

The exit lands in a volatile regional week: the U.S.–Iran conflict, Iran-aligned militia attacks on U.S. targets earlier this year, and Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s delayed timeline to disarm those militias (now aimed at mid-2027). Kurdish officials want the Kurdistan Region preserved in the bilateral memorandum. Remnant ISIS cells remain a threat — CENTCOM noted a December 2025 attack that killed two U.S. soldiers and a translator. Watch militia disarmament milestones, any new bilateral basing text, and whether ISIS activity rises after the flag comes down.