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Operation Inherent Resolve is scheduled to end on Sept. 30, as remaining U.S. troops in northern Iraq complete their withdrawal. The United States formed Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve in October 2014 to bring together partners to combat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which had seized territory in parts of Iraq and Syria. The end of Operation Inherent Resolve highlights the success of coalition efforts against ISIL but also raises questions about future political stability and security in Iraq and Syria — and whether ISIL could rise again. The U.S. departure from northern Iraq, coming after the pullout from Syria in April, also intensifies risks for Kurdish communities. We asked five experts to consider the implications for Iraq, Syria, and ISIL.Read more below.Victoria J. Taylor Director of the Iraq Initiative and Syria Project at the Atlantic CouncilThe end of Operation Inherent Resolve represents both a practical and symbolic conclusion to the era of a U.S.-Iraqi relationship driven by the U.S. military presence. For many Iraqis, particularly the Shiite political elite, this moment restores Iraqi sovereignty and provides an opportunity to redefine the bilateral partnership away from security and more toward political and economic ties. However, against the backdrop of the U.S. war with Iran, security issues will continue to dominate the relationship, and Iraq’s sovereignty remains fragile. Iran-backed militias continue to pull Iraq into regional conflict, jeopardizing the Iraqi government’s relationship with Washington and its neighbors. What remains to be seen is whether the United States is prepared to walk away from Iraq if Washington does not see the Iraqi state take steps to disarm the militias and distance itself from Iran. The end of Operation Inherent Resolve could either mean the end of U.S. engagement in Iraq or the beginning of a new