# U.S. Ends Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq as Troops Withdraw From Final Bases

*Wednesday, September 30, 2026 at 10:07 AM UTC — Hamer Intelligence Services Desk*

**Published**: 2026-09-30T10:07:14.824Z (2h ago)
**Category**: geopolitics | **Region**: Middle East
**Importance**: 8/10
**Sources**: OSINT
**Permalink**: https://hamerintel.com/data/articles/19239.md
**Source**: https://hamerintel.com/summaries

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**Deck**: The Pentagon says Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S. mission launched in 2014 to fight ISIS in Iraq, has officially concluded. U.S. troops are now leaving their last bases in Iraqi Kurdistan and elsewhere, while Baghdad’s leadership insists that only forces under state authority should remain on Iraqi soil.

The United States has formally shut down its anti-ISIS mission in Iraq, drawing a line under Operation Inherent Resolve even as the logistics of withdrawal continue.

The Pentagon announced that Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq has officially ended. A separate report said U.S. troops are evacuating their last military bases in Iraqi Kurdistan and the last ones in the country overall. That includes Erbil Air Base, a key hub for U.S. operations in the north.

In theory, the deadline for the U.S. withdrawal expires on September 30. In practice, the departure of personnel and equipment will take several more weeks because of the volume of materiel that has to be moved. The mission began in 2014, when the U.S. and partners intervened to help Iraqi and Kurdish forces push back the Islamic State group after it seized large parts of Iraq.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi, who also serves as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, used the moment to restate his position on security forces operating in the country. He said there must be no weapons outside the law and no forces beyond state control. His remarks address not only foreign troops but also the array of armed formations that have grown up alongside Iraq’s official security institutions.

Those comments underline the political and security test that comes after the U.S. departure. Iraq’s government has to manage the threat from ISIS remnants, keep coordination with Kurdish authorities and handle powerful militias that have their own chains of command. The end of Operation Inherent Resolve changes the legal and symbolic framework for U.S. involvement, even as intelligence sharing, training and other forms of cooperation are likely to continue in some form.

How quickly the last U.S. units leave Erbil and other bases, and whether Baghdad moves to assert tighter control over armed groups in line with al-Zaidi’s call, will show how this transition reshapes Iraq’s internal balance.