US says coalition mission in Iraq ends after withdrawal from Erbil airbase

The United States and its coalition partners have withdrawn their remaining personnel and military equipment from an airbase in Erbil, formally ending Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq, according to the Pentagon.

The departure closes the coalition’s military mission in the country after a 12-year campaign against ISIL, also known as ISIS, Middle East Eye reported. The announcement marked the completion of the withdrawal from the Erbil facility, where the final coalition troops and equipment had remained.

Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell described the pullout as “the success of a 12-year campaign” against the armed group. He said responsibility for security would now rest with Iraqi troops and Kurdish Peshmerga forces.

Those forces will be tasked with maintaining security and ensuring that ISIL remains suppressed, according to Parnell. The transfer places Iraqi and Kurdish personnel at the centre of the continuing effort to prevent the group from regaining strength.

Parnell characterised the handover as “a transition from a wartime coalition mission to an Iraqi-led security effort”. The change formally concludes the coalition operation in Iraq while shifting responsibility for the next phase to forces inside the country.

The Pentagon’s statement linked the end of the mission directly to the removal of the remaining coalition presence at Erbil’s airbase. With the withdrawal of both troops and military equipment completed, the United States and its partners consider Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq formally closed.

The announcement did not provide further details on the number of personnel or the volume of equipment removed from the airbase. It also did not outline additional arrangements beyond saying that Iraqi troops and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters would assume responsibility for security and for keeping ISIL contained.

Reporting attribution: based on reporting by Middle East Eye — original source: https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/us-announces-end-coalition-mission-iraq-after-erbil-withdrawal.