U.S.-Led Coalition Ends Iraq Anti-IS Mission After Twelve Years

Iraq is closing a major chapter in its post‑2003 history as the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State formally ends its mission, more than two decades after France opposed the invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

The coalition, launched in 2014 after IS seized large swaths of Iraq and Syria, concluded its operations on Wednesday, marking a significant shift in the country’s security arrangements.

Although the broader U.S. military presence in Iraq dates back to the 2003 invasion that removed Saddam Hussein, France under President Jacques Chirac had argued for continued UN weapons inspections instead of military action.

U.S. forces withdrew at the end of 2011, returned three years later at Baghdad’s request as IS swept across northern and western Iraq, and worked with Iraqi and Kurdish forces backed by coalition air power, training and intelligence to drive the militants from their territorial holdings.

IS was declared territorially defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019, though residual cells kept the coalition engaged in targeted counter‑terrorism efforts.

In 2024 Washington and Baghdad agreed on a phased withdrawal, with coalition troops gradually leaving bases across the country.

“Today, the United States and our Coalition partners formally concluded Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq,” the Pentagon said on Wednesday, adding that Washington will continue to provide focused training and intelligence support to Iraqi forces.

The Iraqi government presents the withdrawal as evidence that its security forces can now assume primary responsibility for national defence.

Prime Minister Ali al‑Zaidi called the mission’s end the start of a new phase, defined by sovereignty, strong institutions, ready forces, unified decision‑making and balanced partnerships.

His administration has declared 1 October Sovereignty Day.

The pull‑back, however, highlights a persistent domestic challenge: powerful armed factions that operate outside full state control.

While the U.S.-led coalition was not alone in defeating IS—Kurdish Peshmerga and various Iraqi paramilitary groups, including Iran‑aligned factions, played key roles—many of those groups retain substantial arsenals and political influence.

Baghdad hopes the coalition’s departure will undercut one of the main arguments used by Iran‑backed factions to justify keeping their weapons.

Iraqi political and judicial leaders warned this week that “the presence of weapons outside state authority must be addressed,” and Zaidi has pledged to reinforce the state’s monopoly on arms.

The government had initially set 30 September as a deadline for factions to disarm but later withdrew the date as negotiations continued over how to “regulate” weapons.

Several powerful groups have refused to lay down arms, while senior politicians seek a compromise.

Kataeb Hezbollah, one of Iraq’s most powerful Iran‑aligned factions, described the coalition’s exit as “a start towards achieving full sovereignty,” yet warned that a government failing to serve its people could be toppled by any means.

Iran‑backed factions have long demanded the removal of U.S. troops and have repeatedly targeted bases hosting American and coalition forces with drones and missiles, prompting retaliatory U.S. strikes.

Those attacks intensified amid the wider Middle‑East conflict that followed U.S.–Israeli strikes on Iran.

Meanwhile, residual IS cells remain active, raising concerns that the jihadist group could exploit any security gaps after the coalition’s departure.

Iraqi forces—including the Peshmerga in the Kurdistan region—will now take the lead in suppressing IS remnants, while Washington maintains a narrower counter‑terrorism partnership with Baghdad.

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