# U.S. Ends 12‑Year Anti‑ISIS Mission in Iraq as Iraqi Forces Take Lead on Security

*Wednesday, September 30, 2026 at 8:06 AM UTC — Hamer Intelligence Services Desk*

**Published**: 2026-09-30T08:06:49.569Z (2h ago)
**Category**: geopolitics | **Region**: Middle East
**Importance**: 8/10
**Sources**: OSINT
**Permalink**: https://hamerintel.com/data/articles/19235.md
**Source**: https://hamerintel.com/summaries

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**Deck**: The U.S. and its coalition partners have formally concluded Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq and withdrawn forces and equipment from Erbil Air Base, the Pentagon said. Iraqi security forces now take primary responsibility for containing Islamic State remnants, while Washington shifts to training and intelligence support.

The United States has formally wound down its military campaign against Islamic State in Iraq, closing a mission that lasted 12 years and shifting day‑to‑day responsibility for security to Iraqi forces.

On 30 September, the Pentagon said Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S.‑led coalition effort to eliminate ISIS in Iraq, had officially ended. As part of that conclusion, coalition forces and equipment have departed Erbil Air Base in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.

According to the Pentagon, Iraqi security forces will now have the lead role in maintaining internal security and pursuing Islamic State cells that remain active in parts of the country. The U.S. plans to continue providing targeted training, advisory support and intelligence sharing, but without the operational framework and regular combat role that defined Inherent Resolve.

For Iraqi troops and police, the change means greater responsibility in areas where ISIS has reverted to an underground presence, often in rural or hard‑to‑govern terrain. How effectively they track and disrupt those networks will shape whether the group remains contained or regains momentum.

The closure of the mission comes after years in which Islamic State has lost the territory it once held in Iraq, but retained the capacity for smaller‑scale attacks and propaganda. The shift from a coalition‑led operation to an Iraqi‑managed effort reflects both the degraded state of the group and Baghdad’s push to assert more control over its own security.

For Washington, ending Inherent Resolve in Iraq allows officials to present the core military objective — dismantling the group’s territorial control in the country — as achieved, while keeping open a channel for continued counterterrorism cooperation.

Key developments to watch include the scope of any new bilateral security arrangements between the U.S. and Iraq, trends in ISIS‑claimed attacks over the coming months, and how Iraqi authorities handle pressure from domestic actors who either support or oppose a continued foreign military role in the country.