US and Allied Forces Begin Planned Withdrawal from Iraq as Pentagon Transitions to New Security Partnership

The Pentagon announced Wednesday that US and allied forces are scaling back their presence in Iraq, bringing to a close a mission against the Islamic State (IS) that has lasted more than a decade.

According to an agreement reached last year between Washington and Baghdad, the international coalition against IS – formed in 2014 to support local forces in reclaiming territory captured by jihadists in Iraq and neighboring Syria – will conclude its military operations in Iraq by the end of September 2025.

"This reduction demonstrates our combined success in combating ISIS and signals a transition toward a enduring security partnership between the US and Iraq," stated Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell in an official release, using an alternative acronym for IS.

Parnell further noted, "The US government will maintain close coordination with Iraq's government and coalition members to ensure a responsible transition."

Military operations against IS in Syria will continue under the coalition, with international troops authorized to support anti-IS activities from Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region through September 2026.

In a separate announcement made in April, Parnell revealed that the United States would decrease its troop deployment in Syria by approximately half to fewer than 1,000 personnel.

While IS has experienced significant defeats in both Iraq and Syria, the jihadist group still maintains fighters in rural areas of both nations, prompting US forces to conduct occasional strikes and raids to prevent the organization from regaining strength.