U.S. Completes Withdrawal From Iraq, Ending 12-Year Mission Against ISIS

What happened

The U.S. military announced on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, that it has completed the withdrawal of all American troops from Iraq, ending a 12-year mission to fight the Islamic State group. The last U.S. troops left Erbil Air Base in northern Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region, closing out a timetable agreed between Baghdad and Washington in September 2024 that extended through the end of September 2026. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said U.S. troops and equipment had completed an "orderly departure" from the base, adding that the milestone "reflects the success of a 12-year campaign that defeated ISIS as an organized military threat in Iraq and across the region" and marks "a transition from a wartime coalition mission to an Iraqi-led security effort supported by a more normal bilateral security relationship," according to the Associated Press report carried by 6abc Philadelphia.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi presided over the handover ceremony and described the withdrawal as the beginning of a "new phase, one defined by Iraq's sovereignty, the strength of its institutions, the readiness of its forces, the unity of its decision-making, and balanced partnerships with its friends." He said Iraqi security forces will continue the fight against ISIS and that the government will ensure non-state groups no longer hold weapons. Qasim al-Araji, the prime minister's security adviser, called the move an "important milestone," saying it followed negotiations and understandings that began in July 2021, and that security and intelligence cooperation will continue "on the basis of mutual respect and shared interests," per the official Iraqi News Agency, as reported by Saudi Gazette.

The departure drew sharply different reactions inside Iraq. Iran-backed militias celebrated the withdrawal. Abu Mujahid al-Assaf, a security official with the powerful Kataib Hezbollah militia, declared: "The expulsion of the occupation forces, defeated, from the land of Iraq is the beginning of full sovereignty," and warned al-Zaidi's government not to pursue "American plans," threatening that "any government that does not work for the benefit of the people will be overthrown by all means." By contrast, the Kurdistan Regional Government's Peshmerga Ministry expressed anxiety about the removal of U.S. air defense systems, noting that the Kurdish region faced more than 1,000 drone and ballistic-missile attacks during the recent U.S.-Iran conflict, which began on February 28, 2026. "The departure of the United States from the Kurdistan Region under these complex regional circumstances, without the provision of a defense system, is a matter of concern," the ministry said.

The withdrawal closes a chapter that began when U.S. troops invaded Iraq in 2003 to topple Saddam Hussein, departed in 2011, and returned in 2014 at Iraq's invitation to lead an international coalition against ISIS after the group seized large swaths of Iraqi territory. Iraq declared ISIS territory recaptured in December 2017. Under the 2024 agreement, U.S. troops pulled out of bases in most of Iraq last year, keeping only a few hundred in the Kurdish region until this week's final departure.

Why it matters

The end of the coalition mission removes the last formal U.S. military presence in a country that has hosted American troops on and off for more than two decades, and it shifts responsibility for containing ISIS to Iraqi forces. The timing is delicate: the Iraqi government had originally tied the September 30 deadline to the disarmament of non-state armed groups by that date, but only a handful of less-influential militias agreed to turn over weapons. Al-Zaidi has since pushed the militia disarmament deadline to June 2027, a date he disclosed to The New York Times earlier this month. That leaves the most powerful Iran-backed factions armed and, in the case of Kataib Hezbollah, openly threatening a government it accuses of serving American interests. The Kurdish region's concerns add a second fault line: with U.S. air defense systems gone and more than 1,000 drone and missile attacks recorded during this year's U.S.-Iran war, Erbil is asking what protects it next. How Baghdad manages disarmament, and whether the promised bilateral security cooperation materializes, will shape both Iraq's stability and the wider contest over influence between Washington and Tehran.

How it is being covered

According to ground.news, the story is carried by 449 outlets with a nearly even political spread of 34 percent left, 32 percent center and 34 percent right. Of 202 rated sources, 104 are rated high factuality, including 53 very high, while 37 are mixed and 8 low or very low. Ground.news flags no blindspot, with coverage across the spectrum.

What to watch

• Whether al-Zaidi's government can enforce the revised June 2027 militia disarmament deadline against factions that have rejected it, and whether Kataib Hezbollah's threats translate into action against the state.
• The shape of the successor bilateral security relationship, including the intelligence and security cooperation al-Araji said would continue.
• Security in the Kurdish region after the removal of U.S. air defense systems, and any renewed drone or missile attacks.
• Any resurgence of ISIS activity now that the coalition mission has formally ended.

By the numbers

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