American-Led Troops Leave Iraq

The U.S. military has successfully completed its full withdrawal from Iraq, marking the end of its military operations in the nation after more than twenty years of presence. 

The concluding stage of this departure was accomplished on September 30, 2026, when the last contingent of forces evacuated from Erbil Air Base, their final position in northern Iraq.

Coalition military forces were initially stationed in Iraq and Syria beginning in 2014 to counter the Islamic State (IS) organization, which had taken control of extensive territories across both nations and perpetrated horrific massacres and atrocities.

Although IS was militarily defeated in Iraq by 2017 and in Syria by 2019, coalition personnel remained to suppress the organization's surviving elements.

 In 2024, Baghdad and Washington reached an agreement to gradually reduce the coalition's operational footprint, leading to a phased withdrawal from military installations throughout the country, with forces concentrating their remaining activities in the self-governing Kurdistan region in the north. Their complete departure from this final location is set for Wednesday.

Iraqi leadership contends that removing coalition forces eliminates the justification that Iran-aligned militant organizations have leveraged to maintain their arsenals. Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has proclaimed that October 1, immediately following the coalition's exit, should be recognized as Sovereignty Day.

This represents "a historic milestone celebrating Iraq's achievement of full sovereignty and reinforcing the strength of the state and its governmental structures," according to statements from the heads of Iraq's executive, legislative, and judicial authorities released on Monday.

They further emphasized that “the presence of weapons outside state authority must be addressed… in line with timelines set by the government, in a manner that strengthens state sovereignty”.