Overview
- U.S. Central Command announced the final troops and equipment left Erbil, completing the withdrawal agreed with Baghdad and formally ending Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq on Wednesday, Sept. 30.
- The Pentagon says it will continue targeted counterterrorism tasks such as training and intelligence sharing while moving command infrastructure and much of the counter‑ISIS effort to bases in the region, notably Amman, Jordan.
- Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al‑Zaidi presided over a handover ceremony and framed the pullout as a transfer of sovereignty even though Baghdad has postponed a planned disarmament of non‑state militias until June 2027.
- Analysts, Kurdish leaders and some Iraqi security officials warn the withdrawal could empower Iran‑backed militias and create gaps that Islamic State sleeper cells might exploit without sustained U.S. air surveillance and air‑defense support.
- The pullout closes a chapter stretching back to the 2003 invasion and the 2014–17 anti‑ISIS campaign, leaves Iraq balancing ties to Washington and Tehran, and will test whether Iraqi forces can maintain security for civilians and infrastructure going forward.