By Bradford Betz, FOX News September 30, 2026

The U.S. military has completed the withdrawal of American forces and equipment from Erbil Air Base in Iraq, ending its Operation Inherent Resolve mission, U.S. Central Command announced Wednesday.

The departure closes the Iraq chapter of the U.S.-led military mission launched against ISIS in 2014, while shifting primary responsibility for the country’s security to Iraqi forces. The broader counter-ISIS campaign is not ending, however, with the U.S.-led task force relocating its headquarters to Jordan and operations continuing in Syria.

Israeli officials quickly announced that the bloody “brawl” aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday was in fact a thwarted hijacking attempt, in which the copilot of the plane tried to knife the captain and then crash the aircraft.”Job well done to the tens of thousands of American service members, diplomats, and civilian personnel who answered the call in Iraq,” CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper said.