US Closes Last Military Base in Iraq and Concludes Operation Inherent Resolve After 12 Years
The United States announced Wednesday that it has closed its last military base in Iraq to conclude Operation Inherent Resolve, which was launched in 2014.
“Today, the United States and our Coalition partners formally concluded Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq, consistent with the September 2024 U.S.-Iraq joint statement and U.S. national interests,” a War Department news release read.
“The orderly departure of Coalition forces and equipment from Erbil Air Base marks the successful conclusion of the military mission that defeated ISIS in Iraq.”
The agency called it a “milestone” reflective of a successful “12-year campaign that defeated ISIS as an organized military threat in Iraq and across the region.”
“It also marks a transition from a wartime coalition mission to an Iraqi-led security effort supported by a more normal bilateral security relationship,” the release stated.
U.S. officials said they are relying on Iraqi Security Forces, including the Peshmerga and other security forces in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, to keep the country secure going forward, but will still “provide targeted training and intelligence support to our Iraqi partners.”
“The primary responsibility for addressing Iraq’s remaining security challenges, including ISIS remnants and Iran-aligned militias that undermine Iraqi sovereignty and regional stability, now rests with the Government of Iraq,” the War Department noted.
“The United States remains committed to counterterrorism and will continue to work with Iraq and our partners to ensure ISIS can never reconstitute from Iraqi territory,” the statement concluded.
“The United States supports a strong sovereign Iraq that secures its borders, protects its people, and serves as the foundation for deeper commercial, diplomatic, and security cooperation between our two countries.”
U.S. operations in Iraq have lasted over 23 years and cost $1.7 trillion, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.
“We don’t think we need the military there anymore,” President Donald Trump said during a White House visit by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi in July.
“We have a fantastic champion, a new champion,” the commander in chief added. “He’s young, and he’s handsome.”
The Trump administration is hoping Zaidi will be able to disarm tens of thousands of armed militants and keep the peace, including against violent groups that receive funding from Iran.
Victoria Taylor, a former senior State Department official who left her post this year after working on Iraq-related projects, told The Wall Street Journal that it “was an impossible request,” to think Zaidi could quickly disarm the militants.
“These militia groups exist because Iran wants them to exist, and Iran finds continued utility in using them as a tool and a lever against the Iraqi government and the U.S. in the region,” she declared.
The Trump administration is facing criticism over the Iran war lasting longer than expected, leading to higher fuel costs and global uncertainty, while stoking fears that the U.S. might become entangled in another Middle East conflict that could last for years.
Trump said that the war could come to an end before the midterm elections, but has also said the United States could continue military operations in the region well after November.
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