The US military has completed its withdrawal from Iraq, ending a 12-year mission focused on defeating the Islamic State, according to the Associated Press.
The final American troops and equipment left a base in Irbil, in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell described the departure as an orderly transition from a wartime coalition mission to an Iraqi-led security partnership.
The withdrawal has been welcomed by Iran-backed Iraqi groups and the Iraqi government, which called it a step toward greater sovereignty.
Kurdish officials, however, expressed concern over the removal of US air defenses. The Kurdish region reported more than 1,000 drone and missile attacks during the recent US-Iran conflict.
Meanwhile, Iraq has delayed plans to disarm powerful Iran-aligned militias until June 2027, according to AP.
Related Tweet:
The U.S. military declared an end to its Iraq-based anti-ISIS operation Wednesday, saying all U.S.-led coalition forces and equipment had been withdrawn from a key base in the north of the country in line with an agreement reached previously with the Iraqi government.…
— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 30, 2026
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