US ends Iraq mission & relocates operations to Jordan

After close to two decades of Iraq intervention, US military forces and equipment have shifted headquarters. CENTCOM confirmed the relocation of the Combined Joint Task Force–Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) to Jordan following the formal end of the coalition’s military mission in Iraq on September 30, when the last American and partner forces left Erbil Air Base.


Admiral Brad Cooper, CENTCOM's commander, praised Iraqi forces for now "having the capacity to manage their own security."


The relocation is more a change of address rather than a conclusion:


🔴 same Combined Joint Task Force remains operational, only now based in Jordan


🔴 counter-ISIS operations continue in Syria with coalition partners and the Syrian government


🔴 new “bilateral defense relationship” with Iraq keeps the door open for future involvement


🔴 regional US and coalition forces stay on standby, “ready to respond” to threats that arise