US completes military withdrawal from Iraq, ending 12-year anti-ISIS mission

U.S. Central Command announced September 30 that the final U.S. troops and equipment had completed an "orderly departure" from Erbil Air Base, formally ending Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq — the 12-year mission launched in 2014 under a 2024 U.S.-Iraq agreement. The U.S. will continue targeted training and intelligence support, with the counter-ISIS task force headquarters moving to Jordan. The last ~100 UK troops also departed. Source: Reuters, September 29, 2026. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-forces-exit-iraq-after-two-decades-leaving-opening-iran-2026-09-29/