Overview
- Operation Inherent Resolve, which ended Wednesday with the departure of the last U.S. troops, closed a 12-year multinational campaign to train Iraqi forces and fight ISIS.
- Italy completed its pullout Tuesday after a 12-year deployment and will leave only two Carabinieri in Iraq under an EU civilian mission.
- The U.S. Department of Defense pledged continued targeted training and intelligence support for Iraq but did not outline the exact locations, scale, or legal basis for that help.
- Analysts say the withdrawal hands primary security responsibility to Iraqi forces and could allow Iran‑backed Shiite militias greater room to operate and influence local politics and security.
- Operation Inherent Resolve began in 2014 at Iraq’s request to stop ISIS territorial gains and its end signals a shift from on‑the‑ground coalition troops to remote and non‑combat cooperation between Baghdad and partners.