U.S. maintains limited military presence, approximately 2,500 U.S. military personnel remain in Iraq as of December 2021, providing assistance, advice and training to Iraqi forces[31]
Coalition ends combat mission in December 2021, but remain in an advisory and assistance capacity[32][33]
Territorial changes
Iraqi government forces regain control of most ISIL held territory, small sleeper cells suspected to remain[citation needed]
Special forces including the Special Air Service (SAS) and additional cargo aircraft and air-to-air tanker aircraft on standby in the area.[citation needed]
5,000–10,000[86] (UN Security Council 2019 report)
28,600–31,600[87](2016 US Defense Department estimate)
Around 100,000 fighters (according to Kurdistan Region Chief of Staff.)[88]
At least a few hundred tanks[89]
70,000+ killed (end of 2017)[102][103] 32,000+ targets destroyed or damaged (including Syria; 2/3 of targets were hit in Iraq)[26] (per Coalition sources)
Estimated 6,000+ civilians killed by Coalition airstrikes in Iraq[105][106][107] At least 28,000 civilians killed by ISIL in Iraq, with potentially up to 20 thousand more. (per Iraqi Body Count)(UN)[citation needed]
In early August 2014, ISIL began its Northern Iraq offensive.[113] On 5 August, the United States started supplying the Kurdish Peshmerga forces with weapons.[114] On 8 August, the United States began airstrikes against ISIL positions in Iraq. Nine other countries also launched airstrikes against ISIL, more or less in concert with Kurdish and Iraqi government ground troops.[115][116] By December 2017, ISIL had no remaining territory in Iraq, following the 2017 Western Iraq campaign.[28]
In addition to direct military intervention, the American-led coalition provided extensive support to the Iraqi Security Forces via training, intelligence, and personnel. The total cost of coalition support to the ISF, excluding direct military operations, was officially announced at ~$3.5 billion by March 2019.[117] 189,000 Iraqi soldiers and police officers received training from coalition forces.[118]
Despite U.S. objections, the Iraqi parliament demanded U.S. troops to withdraw in January 2020 following the deaths of Iraqi Deputy chief of the Popular Mobilization Units and popular Iranian Quds leader Qasem Soleimeni in a U.S. airstrike.[119][120] It was also announced that both the U.K and Germany were cutting the size of troops in Iraq as well,[121] In addition to withdrawing some of its troops, the U.K. pledged to completely withdraw from Iraq if asked to do so by the Iraqi government and Germany "temporarily thinned out" its bases in Baghdad and Camp Taji.[122][123] Canada later joined in with the coalition withdrawal as well by transferring some of its troops stationed in Iraq to Kuwait.[122] French and Australian forces stationed in the country have also objected to a withdrawal as well.[124][125] The United Nations estimated in August 2020 that over 10,000 ISIL fighters remained in Iraq and Syria.[126]
The coalition officially concluded its combat mission in Iraq in December 2021, but U.S. troops remain in Iraq to advise, train, and assist Iraqi security forces against the ongoing ISIL insurgency, including providing air support and military aid.[32][33]
