The United States has completed the withdrawal of its remaining troops from Iraq, bringing an end to a 12 year military mission focused on defeating the Islamic State group, U.S. military officials announced Wednesday.
The final U.S. troops and equipment departed from an air base in Irbil, in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, under an agreement between Washington and Baghdad.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the troops had completed an “orderly departure,” describing the move as the conclusion of a campaign that defeated ISIS as an organized military force in Iraq and across the region.
The withdrawal marks a shift from the U.S. led wartime coalition mission to an Iraqi led security effort supported by a more conventional bilateral security relationship, according to Parnell.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi presided over the handover ceremony and described the withdrawal as the beginning of what he called a new phase for Iraq, centered on national sovereignty, stronger state institutions and greater readiness of Iraqi security forces.
From 2003 invasion to anti-ISIS mission
The U.S. military first invaded Iraq in 2003 to remove former President Saddam Hussein. American forces formally withdrew in 2011, but returned three years later after Iraqi authorities requested international assistance against ISIS.
At its height, the extremist group controlled large areas of Iraq and carried out attacks across the region. As ISIS lost most of its territorial control and was reduced largely to scattered sleeper cells, Washington and Baghdad agreed in 2024 to gradually end the U.S. led military mission.
Most U.S. forces left Iraqi bases last year, while several hundred troops remained in the Kurdistan region until Wednesday’s final departure.
The withdrawal comes amid a broader regional conflict involving the United States and Iran, with Iraq repeatedly affected by attacks and tensions linked to the confrontation.
Concerns in Kurdistan
While Baghdad presented the withdrawal as a sign of Iraq’s growing sovereignty, officials in the Kurdish region have expressed concern about the departure, particularly because U.S. air defense systems were also removed.
The Kurdish regional government’s Peshmerga Ministry said the region had experienced more than 1,000 drone and ballistic missile attacks during the recent U.S. Iran conflict.
It warned that the departure of U.S. forces without replacement defense systems was a concern given the wider security situation in the region.
Iran backed armed groups in Iraq, however, welcomed the withdrawal.
Abu Mujahid al-Assaf, a security official with the powerful Kataib Hezbollah militia, described the departure of U.S. forces as the beginning of what he called “full sovereignty” for Iraq.
He also warned the Iraqi government against implementing what he described as American plans, saying governments that fail to serve the interests of the Iraqi people could face opposition.
Militia disarmament remains unresolved
The U.S. withdrawal was initially linked by the Iraqi government to a deadline for non state armed groups to surrender their weapons.
However, several powerful Iran aligned militias have rejected disarmament or attached conditions to giving up their weapons. Prime Minister al-Zaidi has since pushed the deadline for militia disarmament to June 2027.
With the U.S. military presence already significantly reduced before the final withdrawal, its immediate impact on Iraq’s security landscape may be limited.
However, the departure removes a long-standing American military presence at a time when Iraq remains caught between competing regional security interests.
For Baghdad, the end of the mission represents a further step toward greater control over its own security affairs, while concerns remain over whether Iraqi forces and regional partners can address threats without the same level of U.S. military support.
