CENTCOM Completes Departure From Erbil Air Base, Hands Iraq's Security To Iraqi Forces

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - US Central Command completed the orderly departure of American forces and equipment from Erbil Air Base on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, marking the end of the Operation Inherent Resolve mission in Iraq, CENTCOM announced, with Commander Admiral Brad Cooper singling out the Peshmerga and other Kurdistan Region security forces by name as having achieved the capacity, leadership, and operational independence to unilaterally manage threats to their homeland.

"Job well done to the tens of thousands of American service members, diplomats, and civilian personnel who answered the call in Iraq," Admiral Cooper said. "Because of your grit, sacrifice and professionalism, ISIS no longer poses a systemic threat to Iraq's national security and Iraqi security forces, including the Peshmerga and other Iraqi Kurdistan Region security forces, now possess the capacity, leadership, and operational independence to unilaterally manage threats to their homeland."

The CENTCOM commander's explicit naming of the Peshmerga and Kurdistan Region security forces in his formal departure statement is one of the most significant American military recognitions of Kurdish fighting capacity in the history of the partnership. By stating that the Peshmerga now possesses the capacity, leadership, and operational independence to unilaterally manage threats to their homeland, Admiral Cooper is delivering a formal American military assessment that the Kurdistan Region's security forces are not merely allies who need protection but independent capable actors who can defend themselves.

Erbil Air Base: The Coalition's Main Hub

Located in northern Iraq, Erbil Air Base served as the main operational hub for Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve throughout its existence and hosted most of the 1,500 American and Coalition forces supporting counter-ISIS operations in the conflict's final phase. American and Coalition forces began departing federal Iraq last October as part of a transition that culminated in the removal of all remaining personnel and equipment from Erbil Air Base in September 2026.

The transition from Iraq is part of a planned shift to a US-Iraq bilateral defense relationship. CJTF-OIR remains operational and is now headquartered in Jordan, where US forces continue the counter-ISIS mission in Syria alongside Coalition partners and the Syrian government.

"As we step back and hand full primary responsibility for Iraq's security to the Government of Iraq and the brave people of Iraq, US and Coalition forces stationed across the region will remain ready to respond to any ISIS threats that arise," Cooper said. "Maintaining our vigilance and readiness is essential to protecting the US homeland and strengthening regional security."

What CJTF-OIR Built

CJTF-OIR has advised, assisted, and enabled partner forces in the fight against ISIS in Iraq and Syria since CENTCOM established the unit in 2014. The task force was created in response to ISIS's lightning conquest of Mosul in June 2014 and its subsequent advance toward Erbil, which prompted the Kurdistan Region's appeal for international help and the United States' intervention with airstrikes beginning August 8, 2014. Over twelve years, the coalition grew to include more than 80 countries, conducted more than 35,000 airstrikes, and worked alongside Peshmerga forces in some of the conflict's most intense battles from Sinjar to Makhmour to the Nineveh Plains.

For the Kurdistan Region, the formal conclusion of Operation Inherent Resolve from Erbil Air Base closes a chapter that began at the moment of greatest existential threat in the Region's modern history and ends with CENTCOM's commander certifying that the forces who fought through that threat now have the unilateral capacity to defend their homeland. Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, speaking at the Toyota foundation stone ceremony in Erbil on the same morning, thanked allied nations on behalf of the Kurdish people and reaffirmed that the Peshmerga are solid and ready to confront any threat, directly echoing Admiral Cooper's assessment from the American military's own departure statement.