U.S. Central Command (Centcom) said on Nov. 4 that the Iraqi security forces (ISF) are now capable of conducting their own independent airstrikes on enemy forces.
The announcement is “a major milestone in Iraq’s transition to assuming a leading role in regional operations,” Centcom said in a statement.
Centcom said the U.S.-led coalition task force, dubbed Operation Inherent Resolve, approved of the ISF’s strike capabilities during a final live-fire exercise in Iraq.
“ISF personnel successfully completed the targeting cycle under adverse, real-world conditions, demonstrating targeting proficiency without support from U.S. or Coalition personnel,” Centcom said.
Operation Inherent Resolve was established in 2014 at the request of the Iraqi government, according to a political settlement endorsed by U.N. Security Council Resolution 2254, to advise, assist, and enable partner forces in the fight to defeat the ISIS terrorist group.
Brig. Gen. Steven T. Rivera, the military advisory group director for Operation Inherent Resolve, said the achievement demonstrates the ISF’s readiness to independently suppress ISIS threats anywhere in Iraq.
“It is a clear example of our successful partnership with Iraq as we transition to a bilateral security partnership,” he said. “ISIS’s conventional threat has been degraded and its fighters are dispersed. Iraqi counterterrorism forces have also expanded their capacity, expertise, and equipment to become markedly more capable.”
The Pentagon on Sept. 30 confirmed that the United States and its coalition partners are to reduce their military mission in Iraq “in alignment with the U.S.–Iraq Higher Military Commission.” It cited the diminished threat posed by ISIS.
“In accordance with the President’s guidance and in alignment with the U.S.–Iraq Higher Military Commission and the joint statement issued on Sept. 27, 2024, the United States and Coalition partners will reduce its military mission in Iraq,” the U.S. Department of War said in a Sept. 30 statement.
“[The planned reduction] reflects our combined success in fighting ISIS and marks an effort to transition to a lasting U.S.–Iraq security partnership in accordance with U.S. national interests, the Iraqi Constitution, and the U.S.-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement.”
Iraq has pushed for an end to the coalition’s mandate since early 2024, when the United States launched a wave of deadly drone and missile strikes—including several in Baghdad—against Iraqi Shiite militia groups.
Separately on Oct. 31, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said that the United States’ former strategy of “regime change or nation building” had ended under President Donald Trump, describing the previous practice as counterproductive and wasteful of taxpayer resources.
Adam Morrow contributed to this report.
