Last UK and US troops leave Iraq as anti-Islamic State mission ends

The UK and US military have completed their decade-long presence in Iraq, marking the end of their Operation Inherent Resolve mission to combat the Islamic State (IS) extremist group. The final British troops, around 100 personnel, withdrew from Irbil in the northern Kurdistan region, coordinated with the US forces who departed on the same day.

This exit was facilitated by an agreement between the US and Iraq, signed two years ago, to remove foreign troops by the end of the month. Their departure symbolizes Iraq's transition to full responsibility for its security and stability. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi hailed this moment as a significant step, declaring it "Iraq's transition to a phase in which it assumes full responsibility for its security and stability."

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) highlighted that Iraqi Security Forces and Kurdish Peshmerga forces had achieved a territorial defeat of IS and are well-positioned to handle the country's security under Iraqi leadership. The Pentagon confirmed the coalition's departure as the successful conclusion of the military mission that defeated IS in Iraq.

The Iraqi government, however, now shoulders the responsibility for addressing remaining security challenges, including remnants of IS and Iran-aligned militias that threaten Iraqi sovereignty and regional stability. The UN report estimates that Iraqi security forces have left IS with a few hundred fighters who can only execute unsophisticated operations.

Recently, Iranian-backed militias have been targeting the remaining US and UK forces stationed in Irbil, putting pressure on the Iraqi government. Despite the US-Iran war, hundreds of NATO troops stationed in Baghdad have left the country amid rising tensions. The RAF Regiment Gunners, among the last British military personnel, shot down over 100 drones in the first six weeks of the war, many launched by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq.

The UK military attributed the mission's success to their contribution, supporting more than 111,000 Iraqi Security Forces members, including 21,000 Peshmerga forces in the Kurdistan Region. RAF sorties targeted more than 2,300 IS targets. The Pentagon reports that the US will provide targeted training and intelligence support to Iraqi partners, while the US Central Command retains a joint taskforce in Jordan to counter IS in Syria, where the UN estimates IS has up to 3,000 fighters. This marks the third withdrawal of US and UK forces from Iraq, following missions in 1991 and 2003.