U.S. ends Iraq combat mission after two decades as Iran celebrates pullout

The United States formally ended its military mission in Iraq on Wednesday, withdrawing the last troops mainly from an airbase in Erbil in the Kurdish region and closing more than two decades of continuous American combat presence that began with the 2003 invasion.

The pullout finishes a 2024 agreement struck under President Joe Biden and carried out by Donald Trump’s administration even as Washington fights Iran next door. The Pentagon said Operation Inherent Resolve has concluded and that the U.S. will keep providing targeted training and intelligence to Iraqi partners. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi said the end of the coalition mission means Iraq now assumes “full responsibility for its security and stability,” not the end of the fight against terrorism.

Tehran and allied militias cast the departure as a victory for the “axis of resistance.” Baghdad-based analyst Ahmed Younis warned proxies may feel freer to shape state policy without a Western military presence. Iraqi teachers and security advisers interviewed by Reuters fretted that forces still struggle to contain militias outside state control and that Islamic State sleeper cells could exploit any vacuum — a fear sharpened by memories of Mosul’s fall in 2014 after the previous U.S. withdrawal.

More than 4,500 U.S. troops died in the Iraq war; Iraq Body Count estimates more than 200,000 Iraqi civilian deaths. Seven of 18 U.S. service members listed as killed since Trump launched “Operation Epic Fury” alongside Israel this year died in Iraq. For Ottawa and other coalition alumni, Wednesday’s exit redraws the regional map just as Iran-U.S. fighting and Hormuz risks already rattle energy markets.

Sources: Pentagon says it has formally completed withdrawal of US troops from Iraq — The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/30/pentagon-formal-withdrawal-troops-iraq | US forces exit Iraq, emboldening Iran's proxies and Islamic State — Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/world/us-forces-exit-iraq-emboldening-irans-proxies-islamic-state-2026-09-30/ | How does Iraq’s security change after US forces withdraw? — Al Jazeera: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/30/how-does-iraqs-security-change-after-us-forces-withdraw