US Forces Complete Withdrawal from Iraq After Over a Decade

US military personnel are scheduled to leave their remaining bases in Iraq on Wednesday, concluding a deployment that has lasted more than ten years. The departure marks the end of a mission initially launched in 2014 to counter the Islamic State extremist group.

Following the coalition’s exit, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi announced that October 1 will be observed as Sovereignty Day. In a joint statement released Monday, the heads of Iraq’s executive, legislative, and judicial branches described the date as a national occasion that affirms the country’s full sovereignty and strengthens state institutions.

The original coalition forces were deployed to Iraq and neighboring Syria to combat the Islamic State, which had seized significant territory in both nations by 2014. While the terrorist group was militarily defeated in Iraq by 2017 and in Syria by 2019, coalition troops remained to prevent the insurgency from regrouping.

This complete withdrawal occurs 23 years after US-led forces toppled Saddam Hussein, an event that precipitated widespread instability and eventually created the conditions for the rise of the Islamic State.

The pullout was originally agreed upon in 2024 under former US President Joe Biden and has now been executed under the administration of Donald Trump. Iran, which has long advocated for the removal of American military presence from the Middle East, celebrated the departure. Tehran views the move as a victory for its “axis of resistance,” a network of allied armed groups across the region.

However, the exit of US troops has sparked concerns regarding regional security. Analysts warn that Iran-backed Shiite militias may seek to expand their influence and potentially reorganize remnants of the Islamic State in the power vacuum left by the American departure. Despite the withdrawal from Iraq, the United States continues to engage in military actions against Iranian targets.