Photo Credit: Alaa Al-Marjani/Reuters
On Sept. 30, the US military formally concluded Operation Inherent Resolve against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Iraq. The 12-year campaign led by the US and counter-ISIS nations has finished, with all remaining forces and equipment withdrawn through Erbil Air Base.
Operation Inherent Resolve was led by the US military and began in 2014. The operation was launched to suppress the terrorist group ISIS. At the time, ISIS was rapidly seizing regions in Iraq and Syria. The operation’s goal was to disrupt ISIS' control and interrupt revenue streams that funded their activity.
US-led international forces trained and mentored over 240,000 members of Iraq’s security forces. They also contributed US$5 billion in support through the Counter-ISIS Train and Equip Fund. In addition, the US-led forces would provide critical airpower. According to the RAND Corporation, a public policy research organisation, the US air strikes weakened ISIS’s finances by targeting their cash savings and oil businesses.
According to EBSCO, ISIS was largely considered a defeated organization by 2023, since it no longer controlled significant cities in Syria or Iraq. Despite ISIS losing its territorial control, US-led forces continued to support Iraqi security forces against remaining threats from ISIS.
Operation Inherent Resolve will remain operational and is now headquartered in Jordan. Counter-ISIS missions in Syria will continue with support from US-led international forces and the Syrian government.
A statement by Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell indicates that the completion of the military mission marks a transition to Iraq taking the lead in its own security. He says Iraqi security forces are expected to lead the continuing effort of securing Iraq and containing the remnants of ISIS.
However, the shift does not mean the end of all US-Iraq security cooperations. Parnell added, “The Department of War will continue to provide targeted training and intelligence support to our Iraqi partners.”
US forces’ withdrawal could also pose security concerns in the Kurdish Region. Decades of US military presence in Iraq have provided stability and protection for the Iraqi Kurds, according to The Atlantic Council. Government officials have reported that the region has already been facing security challenges posed by drones and missile attacks related to the ongoing US-Iran conflict. The removal of key air defense systems may further complicate the region’s stability, according to Al Jazeera.
“The U.S. leaving the Kurdistan Region in such complex regional conditions, without providing any defense system, is a cause for concern,” reads a statement from the local government in the region.
According to Al Jazeera, Mohammed Salih, a non-resident senior fellow at the US-based Foreign Policy Research Institute and an expert on Iraqi and regional affairs, says there is “considerable uncertainty and concern among Kurds surrounding the US withdrawal.”