Pentagon Formally Declares End Of Operation Inherent Resolve In Iraq

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - The United States and its Coalition partners formally concluded Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq on Wednesday, with the Pentagon explicitly naming the Peshmerga alongside Iraqi Security Forces as the forces expected to lead the continuing effort to secure Iraq and suppress ISIS remnants, in the most direct American acknowledgment yet of the Kurdistan Region's central role in Iraq's post-coalition security architecture.

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,

Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said in the official statement marking the conclusion of Operation Inherent Resolve.

The explicit naming of the Peshmerga in Washington's formal military departure statement carries significant weight for the Kurdistan Region, coming on the same day that Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani told the Financial Times that leaving the Region without any defensive system as American forces withdraw is a cause for concern after more than 1,000 Iranian drone and missile attacks since the war began in February 2026. Washington's acknowledgment of the Peshmerga's lead security role, even as it withdraws its forces, signals that the bilateral security relationship between Washington and Erbil continues through different institutional channels.

The Formal Conclusion

"Today, the United States and our Coalition partners formally concluded Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq, consistent with the September 2024 US-Iraq joint statement and US national interests," Parnell said.

The orderly departure of Coalition forces and equipment from Erbil Air Base marks the successful conclusion of the military mission that defeated ISIS in Iraq.

The Pentagon statement describes the moment as a transition from a wartime coalition mission to an Iraqi-led security effort supported by a more normal bilateral security relationship. The Department of War will continue to provide targeted training and intelligence support to Iraqi partners.

Iran-Aligned Militias Named in Departure Statement

On the remaining security challenges, Parnell was direct about where responsibility now lies. "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," he said. The explicit naming of Iran-aligned militias as a security challenge undermining Iraqi sovereignty in the same statement that formally hands security responsibility to Baghdad places the Iraqi government on immediate notice that Washington expects action against those groups even without American military forces present.

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. "The United States 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 our two countries," Parnell said.

The formal conclusion of Operation Inherent Resolve from Erbil Air Base closes a chapter that began in August 2014 when the United States launched the first airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq following the group's capture of Mosul and its advance toward Erbil. The coalition that formed around that initial response grew to include more than 80 countries and conducted more than 35,000 airstrikes against ISIS across Iraq and Syria before Wednesday's formal conclusion.