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Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has welcomed the end of the US-led mission in Iraq and urged American forces to leave the wider region.
What has changed? · 01/10/2026, 09:55 UTC
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Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the departure of coalition forces and equipment from Erbil Air Base marked the formal conclusion of Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq. He described a shift from the wartime coalition mission to an Iraqi-led security effort. Iraqi forces, including the Peshmerga in the Kurdistan Region, are expected to lead operations against the remnants of Islamic State (IS), while the US continues targeted training and intelligence support. [2]
The announcement follows a transition plan agreed by Washington and Baghdad in 2024. That plan had envisaged ending the coalition mission in Iraq by September 2025, while allowing operations against IS in north-eastern Syria from bases in Iraq through at least September 2026, subject to conditions and consultation. [4]
The withdrawal has raised security concerns. Kurdish commander Sirwan Barzani warned Reuters that losing US intelligence, logistical support and drones would give IS an opportunity to regroup. Iraqi air force commander Khalid al-Tamimi, meanwhile, described the IS threat as very limited and pointed to continuing Iraqi operations against sleeper cells. [5] [6]
About 100 British military personnel based in Irbil have left Iraq, BBC News reports. Their departure was coordinated with US forces over recent weeks. The UK Ministry of Defence has confirmed that its personnel have left as part of the coalition’s withdrawal. [7] [8]
The coalition task force remains operational, with its headquarters now in Jordan, US Central Command says. Its counter-Islamic State mission continues in Syria. The UK says its Operation Shader will also continue, alongside plans to develop bilateral defence ties with Iraq. [9] [8]
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Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has hailed the US military’s departure from Erbil Air Base in northern Iraq as a historic victory and called for American forces to leave the wider region. The statement, published on 1 October, followed the end of the US-led Operation Inherent Resolve mission in Iraq the previous day. [17] [9]
The Guard credited Iraqi resolve and resistance fighters with the withdrawal, rather than negotiations. It also accused the US presence of fuelling terrorism and instability across West Asia, and portrayed the Iraq departure as a step towards a broader regional exit. Those are the Guard’s claims, not changes to US policy. [17]
Baghdad and Washington had, however, agreed in 2024 to wind down the coalition’s Iraq mission and arrange its transition. US Central Command described the departure from Erbil as part of a planned move towards bilateral defence ties with Iraq. [18] [9]