US Completes Withdrawal From Major Iraq Bases

The United States has withdrawn its last forces from Iraq, ending the U.S.-led coalition’s 12-year Operation Inherent Resolve mission against ISIS; British troops also departed. The withdrawal, carried out under a 2024 agreement with Baghdad, shifts responsibility for countering ISIS remnants to Iraqi security forces and Kurdish Peshmerga, while bilateral defense and counterterrorism cooperation is expected to continue. Although ISIS lost its territory in Iraq in 2017, concerns remain about renewed attacks, particularly in the Kurdistan region, and about security gaps that could benefit Iran-aligned militias. Iraq’s effort to bring armed factions under state control, with disarmament targeted for June 2027, faces resistance from powerful groups. The departure is framed by Baghdad as a restoration of sovereignty and comes amid wider U.S.-Iran tensions.