{"id":56779,"date":"2018-04-30T22:08:53","date_gmt":"2018-04-30T22:08:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/04\/30\/major-combat-operations-against-isis-in-iraq-have-ended-what-happens-now\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T10:00:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T10:00:52","slug":"major-combat-operations-against-isis-in-iraq-have-ended-what-happens-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/04\/30\/major-combat-operations-against-isis-in-iraq-have-ended-what-happens-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Major combat operations against ISIS in Iraq have ended. What happens now?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With the furling of a flag, top U.S. military leaders marked the \u201cend of major combat operations against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2018\/01\/23\/us-airstrikes-decimate-nearly-150-isis-militants\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">ISIS <\/a>in Iraq\u201d and a change to the U.S.-led <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2018\/04\/24\/us-led-coalition-isis-may-be-resurgent-on-russias-turf-but-not-ours\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">coalition\u2019s <\/a>mission in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But experts say while it\u2019s likely that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2018\/03\/29\/us-officials-say-theyre-not-conducting-presence-patrols-in-manbij-syria-but-new-photos-show-otherwise\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">troop <\/a>numbers in Iraq will decrease, those resources will likely spread out to assist nearby missions in the region \u2014 from the Arabian Peninsula to Afghanistan and missions in Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Monday, commanders transferred the land fight against any remaining ISIS holdouts in Iraq to Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, according to a coalition release.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/03\/19\/armys-10th-mountain-division-takes-reins-in-anti-isis-fight\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"155\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4227119.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Army\u2019s 10th Mountain Division takes reins in anti-ISIS fight<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The U.S. Army\u2019s 1st Armored Division handed off control of Operation Inherent Resolve\u2019s land component to the 10th Mountain Division at a ceremony in Baghdad, Iraq.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That doesn\u2019t mean all the troops are coming home, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When asked about troop levels during a briefing Monday, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told Military Times that troop numbers are adjusted to ensure that the force is \u201cfit for its current mission.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And that mission will shift, \u201cfrom supporting and enabling combat operations to the training and development of self-sufficient Iraqi security-related capabilities,\u201d according to a coalition statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That move means that troops recently deployed to the area, such as the 10th Mountain Division headquarters that arrived in March, will continue in a \u201ctrain, advise, assist\u201d mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The decision could mean all the difference when it comes to avoiding a repeat of the near collapse of the Iraqi military after the 2011 U.S. withdrawal and subsequent rise of the Islamic State terror group, one Middle East expert said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More than shifting the role of U.S. and coalition troops in the country, it could prove helpful to other missions in the area, namely ongoing operations in Syria and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt could mean increasing resources in Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia,\u201d said James Phillips, a Middle East expert with the Heritage Foundation. \u201cAnd, to a lesser extent, in Africa, in Chad, around the borders of Mali.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most of the ground forces being freed up, he said would likely be special operations forces who\u2019ve been in high demand in all the regional conflicts for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m not sure how many [SOF] bases we have inside Iraq, but I imagine those will be packed up and withdrawn,\u201d Phillips said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"688\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18036249752397.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-90243\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18036249752397.jpg.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18036249752397.jpg.jpg?resize=300,202 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18036249752397.jpg.jpg?resize=768,516 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In this April 17, 2017, file photo, U.S. soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division fire artillery in support of Iraqi forces fighting Islamic State militants from their base east of Mosul. Western contractors at a U.S.-led coalition base in Iraq say American troops have started to drawdown from the country following the defeat of the Islamic State group. (Maya Alleruzzo\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This mission shift comes after Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi claimed victory over ISIS in December. In February, Iraqi government spokesman Saad al-Hadithi said in a statement that \u201cthe battle against Daesh has ended so the level of the American presence will be reduced.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But U.S. officials have avoided specific troop numbers tied to changes in the anti-ISIS fight in Iraq.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPresident Trump has stated that the United States will not \u2018telegraph\u2019 its troop levels and activities, but will always base its force levels on the requirements of the mission,\u201d Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon wrote in an email Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201dWe will retain an appropriate amount of capabilities as well as an advisory presence\u201d to continue training, advising and equipping partners in the \u201ccontinued fight against ISIS,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Any reduction in U.S. troops and takeover in the fight by the Iraqi military might also aid al-Abadi in other ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Phillips said some pro-Iranian militias have tried to make the presence of foreign troops in Iraq an issue in the upcoming May elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis could kind of deflate the importance of that issue,\u201d Phillips said. \u201cAnd probably also help Abadi by saying \u2019the training wheels are off. The Iraqis have done a good job and don\u2019t need as much help as they did before.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The shift sends a signal to Iraqis that \u201cthey still have a counterweight to Iran in the U.S.,\u201d Phillips said. \u201cAnd the U.S. is still actively involved in training their armed forces, which may ultimately end up clashing with these pro-Iranian militias.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For nine months leading up to the arrival of the 10th Mountain headquarters, of Fort Drum, New York, soldiers with the 1st Armored Division of Fort Bliss, Texas, helped the Iraqis bring the fight to ISIS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before them, soldiers with the 1st Infantry Division of Fort Riley, Kansas, had assisted Iraqi forces in retaking Mosul, Iraq, which had been under the control of ISIS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Pentagon Bureau Chief Tara Copp and the Associated Press contributed to this report<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With the furling of a flag, top U.S. military leaders marked the \u201cend of major combat operations against ISIS in Iraq\u201d and a change to the U.S.-led coalition\u2019s mission in the country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":94619,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,8,12,26,65],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3405],"class_list":["post-56779","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-navy"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"URRZZWOZ45BMREPBVEPDLQGOMQ","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/2018\/04\/30\/major-combat-operations-against-isis-in-iraq-have-ended-what-happens-now\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Major combat operations against ISIS in Iraq have ended. 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