Stories
US Military Completes Iraq Withdrawal, Ending 12-Year Anti-ISIS Mission
- •The US military announced the completion of its troop withdrawal from Iraq, concluding a 12-year mission against the Islamic State group.
- •The final US troops departed from an air base in Irbil, northern Iraq, marking a transition from a wartime coalition mission to an Iraqi-led security effort.
- •Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi hailed the withdrawal as the start of a new phase defined by Iraq's sovereignty and strength.
- •The departure, while celebrated by Iran-backed groups, raised concerns among some Iraqis, particularly in the Kurdish region, regarding security and the removal of US air defense systems.
- •US troops initially invaded Iraq in 2003, departed in 2011, and returned in 2014 at Iraq's invitation to combat ISIS, with the mission winding down by agreement in 2024.
Key Questions Answered
The US military announced the completion of its withdrawal from Iraq, ending a 12-year mission to defeat the Islamic State group. The final departure took place from an air base in Irbil, marking a transition from a wartime coalition mission to an Iraqi-led security effort.
Officials in Iraq's Kurdish region expressed deep anxiety about the departure, particularly regarding the removal of US air defence systems. The Peshmerga Ministry noted that the region faced over 1,000 drone and ballistic-missile attacks during the recent US-Iran conflict and feels vulnerable without a defense system.
Although the Iraqi government initially linked the September 30 withdrawal deadline to the disarmament of non-state armed groups, Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi confirmed that the deadline has been pushed to June 2027. This change followed resistance and conditional responses from powerful militias close to Iran.
