The United States military has completed its formal troop withdrawal from Iraq, ending a 12-year campaign against the Islamic State. While President Donald Trump hailed the exit from Erbil Airbase as an orderly victory ending a costly quagmire, the transition exposes deep regional anxieties. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi welcomes the new era of sovereignty, but his government has delayed disarming powerful Iran-backed militias to June 2027. Meanwhile, Kurdish officials warn that the removal of U.S. air defenses leaves the region vulnerable to both Iranian strikes and an Islamic State resurgence.
Details of the final U.S. withdrawal
- ▪Prior to the final departure, the Erbil Airbase had hosted approximately 1,500 troops from the United States and other coalition forces.
- ▪The final U.S. and international coalition forces completed an orderly departure from the Erbil Airbase in northern Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region.
- ▪The U.S. military command that oversees the Middle East, CENTCOM, relocated its anti-ISIL task force to Jordan while maintaining hundreds of troops in Syria.
- ▪The United States military completed the withdrawal of all its troops and equipment from Iraq on September 30, 2026, ending a 12-year mission against the Islamic State.
Donald Trump's remarks on the withdrawal and Iraq's leadership
- ▪U.S. President Donald Trump praised Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, calling him outstanding and claiming credit for endorsing and politicking for him in a landslide election victory.
- ▪U.S. President Donald Trump hailed the September 30, 2026 withdrawal as a victory for the United States and Iraq, calling the 12-year mission a very expensive excursion into Hell.
- ▪Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi was selected as prime minister by Iraq's dominant parliamentary bloc after weeks of internal debate, rather than winning a direct public election.
- ▪Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in July 2026.
- ▪U.S. President Donald Trump compared the Iraq conflict to the ongoing war with Iran, arguing that the Iran war and a 2026 operation in Venezuela resulted in fewer U.S. military deaths.
Iraqi responses to the U.S. withdrawal
- ▪Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi described the U.S. withdrawal as the beginning of a new phase defined by Iraq's sovereignty, strong institutions, and balanced partnerships.
- ▪Iraqi security experts and officials warn that the U.S. pullout creates a security vacuum that could allow Islamic State sleeper cells to stage a comeback.
- ▪Abu Mojtaba al-Yasiri, a commander in the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, described the U.S. withdrawal as a historic victory for Iraqi resistance groups and a crushing defeat for the American project.
Kurdish concerns over the U.S. withdrawal
- ▪The Peshmerga Ministry stated that Iraq's Kurdish region faced more than 1,000 drone and ballistic-missile attacks during the recent U.S.-Iran conflict.
- ▪The Kurdish regional government's Peshmerga Ministry expressed concern over the U.S. withdrawal and the removal of American air defense systems under complex regional circumstances.
Future U.S. security role in Iraq
- ▪Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell stated that the U.S. military will transition to a normal bilateral security relationship, providing targeted training and intelligence support to Iraqi partners.
- ▪The Pentagon stated that primary responsibility for addressing Iraq's security challenges, including Islamic State remnants and Iran-aligned militias, now rests entirely with the Iraqi government.
Tensions between the Iraqi government and militias
- ▪The Islamic Resistance in Iraq stated that weapons regulation negotiations with the government failed, and the group is not bound by any timeline or agreement.
- ▪Kataib Hezbollah leader Ahmad al-Hamidawi called on his fighters to halt military activities, except for targeting hostile aircraft violating Iraqi airspace.
- ▪The Iraqi government pushed the deadline for disarming non-state armed militias from September 30, 2026, to June 2027 after powerful Iran-aligned groups rejected disarmament.
- ▪Abu Mujahid al-Assaf, a security official with the Kataib Hezbollah militia, warned Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi that any government not working for the people would be overthrown.
History and impact of the U.S. military presence
- ▪The Iraq Body Count project reports that more than 200,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed since the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.
- ▪The 12-year campaign successfully defeated the Islamic State as an organized military threat in Iraq, reducing the extremist group to scattered sleeper cells.
- ▪The U.S.-led coalition originally invaded Iraq in 2003 to topple Saddam Hussein, withdrew in 2011, and returned in 2014 to fight the Islamic State.
Debatable claims
- ▪The US military withdrawal from Iraq is premature
- ▪The US military withdrawal from Iraq is a strategic victory for Iran
- ▪The United States should have left air defense systems in the Iraqi Kurdish region
- ▪The 12-year US-led military campaign in Iraq was a success
Story comments
Loading comments…