Last US and UK troops leave Iraq, ending anti-IS mission

The last British and American troops have left Iraq, bringing an end to the coalition military mission against Islamic State in the country. The withdrawal marks a major security transition for Iraq, which says its own forces are now fully responsible for national security and stability. The final UK personnel departed from Irbil in the northern Kurdistan region, while US forces also left on Wednesday.

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The exit followed an agreement between the US and the Iraqi government signed two years ago, under which foreign troops were to withdraw by the end of this month. Around 100 British military personnel were among those leaving, and the departure was coordinated over recent weeks with US forces. The coalition had been present in Iraq since 2014 as part of the international effort to defeat Islamic State, also known as Daesh.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said the end of the coalition mission marked Iraq's transition to a phase in which it assumes full responsibility for its security and stability. Iraq is also set to hold four Sovereignty Days as a national holiday to mark the withdrawal. The UK Ministry of Defence said Iraqi Security Forces and the Kurdish Peshmerga were now well placed to take primary responsibility for the country's security after more than a decade of operations, training and capacity building.

The withdrawal closes Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq, ending a long-running foreign military presence that continued even after Iraq declared the military defeat of Islamic State in 2017. Coalition forces remained after that point to help prevent the group's resurgence and to support local forces. The departure therefore matters not only as a military handover, but also as a test of Iraq's ability to manage remaining threats on its own.

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The Pentagon said the coalition's departure from Irbil marked the successful conclusion of the military mission that defeated Islamic State in Iraq. It added that responsibility for remaining security challenges, including Islamic State remnants and Iran-aligned militias that undermine Iraqi sovereignty and regional stability, now rests with the Iraqi government. That statement underlines the wider regional significance of the handover, as Iraq continues to balance internal security pressures with external political and military influences.

What remains unclear is how quickly Iraqi forces will be able to absorb the full burden of security without coalition backing, and how the government will respond to any renewed threat from Islamic State remnants or militia activity. The end of the mission also raises questions about the future shape of security co-operation between Iraq and its international partners under Iraqi leadership. For now, the withdrawal stands as a formal end to a chapter that began in 2014 and was extended by later agreements to manage the post-IS security environment.

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