A look back at the US military mission in Iraq through the lens of Stars and Stripes

Mortar platoon soldiers based at Camp Widowmaker in Mosul, Iraq, search for bombs at sunrise Nov. 21, 2003. The mortarmen were with the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 502nd Infantry Regiment, based in Fort Campbell, Ky. (Kendra Helmer/Stars and Stripes)

STARS AND STRIPES

Published October 3, 2026 ·

The U.S. military formally ended its mission in Iraq, the Pentagon said Wednesday, closing another chapter in more than two decades of American combat operations, withdrawals and returns to a country that was the defining battlefield for a generation of troops.

The conclusion of Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq, the campaign launched in 2014 to defeat the Islamic State group, ended the latest chapter of U.S. military involvement that began with the invasion of the country in March 2003.

Here’s a look back at the U.S. military’s mission in Iraq.

A Marine cuts the cake during a Marine Corps birthday party in Iraq.

Cpl. David Dennis reads about the significance of the passing of the cake from the oldest to the youngest Marine as part of the traditional Marine Corps birthday celebration at Qayara Airfield West in Iraq on Nov. 10, 2016. (Chad Garland/Stars and Stripes)

Two service members show off their new mustaches in front of the Myrth Mobile in Iraq.

Sgt. John Eimers, 24, of Chicago, and Spc. Andrew Palmieri, 24, of San Diego, Calif., both members of the 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, show off their new mustaches in front of the “Myrth Mobile” in Iraq in September 2004. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)

Mortar platoon soldiers in Mosul, Iraq, search for bombs at sunrise.

Soldiers unload lockers from a truck at Forward Operating Base Marez, Iraq.

Soldiers from 94th Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy) unload lockers from a truck at Forward Operating Base Marez, Iraq, in August 2005. The base was next to Mosul airport, which was liberated from the Islamic State group on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017. (Rick Emert/Stars and Stripes)

Molly the dog patrols southern Baghdad with a member of Company E, 2nd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry (Stryker) Regiment on Nov. 24, 2007. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)

C-130 loadmasters move around the cargo bay after take-off from Irbil, Iraq, Aug. 17, 2016.

C-130 loadmasters Tech Sgt. Ian Devine, right, and Staff Sgt. Michael Plante move around the cargo bay after take-off from Irbil, Iraq, Aug. 17, 2016. (Stars and Stripes)

A commanding general speaks to Marines enjoying a holiday meal in Iraq.

Brig. Gen. Rick A. Uribe, then-deputy commanding general for operations for Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, speaks to Marines enjoying a holiday meal at the combined joint operations center in Irbil, Iraq, on Dec. 25, 2016. (Chad Garland/Stars and Stripes)

U.S. soldiers go through close-quarter combat training with Iraqi service members.

U.S. soldiers with the 1st Armored Division go through close-quarter combat training with members of the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 17, 2004. U.S. military involvement in Iraq began with the invasion of the country in March 2003. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)

In one of the U.S. Army’s largest reenlistment ceremonies held in Iraq, 177 soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division’s Aviation Brigade at Camp Taji, Iraq, pledged a fresh commitment to the Army in April 2005. The U.S.-led coalition transferred control of Camp Taji to the Iraqis on Aug. 23, 2020. (Stars and Stripes)

An F/A-18 Super Hornet sits on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush, deployed to the Persian Gulf supporting maritime security operations and the coalition to defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria on April 20, 2017. (Stars and Stripes)

A U.S. soldier mans a radio on a base in Iraq.

Pfc. Juan Flores, 26, of Ontario, Calif., mans a radio on a base half way between Irbil, capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, and the besieged city of Mosul, Iraq, on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)

U.S. soldiers man a guard post on a base in Iraq.

101st Airborne Division troops man a guard post on a base half way between Irbil, capital of Iraqi Kurdistan and the besieged city of Mosul, Iraq on Tuesday, Oct.25, 2016. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)

Two U.S. service members pose in front of a military vehicle in Iraq.

Air Force Col. Rhett Champagne, left, and Chief Master Sgt. Richard Tallman at Qayara Airfield West on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)

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