The United States announced on Wednesday that it has formally completed the withdrawal of all its remaining troops from Iraq, ending a mission that began in 2003 and evolved into a 12‑year campaign against the Islamic State (ISIS). The Pentagon confirmed that the last U.S. service members departed from an air base in the country, fulfilling a 2022 agreement that the Iraqi government had long demanded.
Background of the U.S. Presence
U.S. forces first entered Iraq in March 2003 as part of a coalition that toppled Saddam Hussein’s regime. The New York Times noted that the initial occupation “unleashed waves of bloodshed” and that U.S. officials “never fully understood the country.” In 2014, the United States led a multinational coalition to combat the resurgence of ISIS, a mission formally known as Operation Inherent Resolve. France 24 described the anti‑ISIS effort as a 12‑year campaign that concluded with the final troop departure.
Iraqi Celebrations and Concerns
Iraq marked the withdrawal with public celebrations branded “National Sovereignty Day” and “Sovereignty Days,” featuring parades in Baghdad and Najaf attended by security forces and government officials. Al Jazeera reported that the events symbolised “a shift after decades of foreign military presence," while the Iraqi presidency issued a statement praising the restoration of full sovereignty.
Reactions among Iraqis were sharply divided.
"Some Iraqis are celebrating the end of an American military presence that unleashed waves of bloodshed. Others fear what happens next for their country, trapped between Washington and Tehran," The New York Times reported.Supporters hailed the withdrawal as the fulfillment of a long‑standing Iraqi demand, whereas critics warned that the exit could embolden Iran‑aligned militias and create a vacuum that extremist groups might exploit. The Washington Post warned that the departure “shifts the balance of power toward Iran,” and a retired general who had commanded U.S. troops in Iraq cautioned that “the exit may give Iran and ISIS an opening.”
Regional Implications
The United Kingdom also completed its own troop pull‑out on the same day, ending the last remnants of the coalition that had been fighting ISIS. BBC News highlighted that the joint withdrawal was a “key demand of the Iraqi government” under the 2022 deal. The Guardian confirmed that the Pentagon’s formal statement declared the withdrawal “complete,” marking a milestone in “two bloody decades of American involvement."
Analysts across multiple outlets, including DW and Semafor, stressed that the move leaves Iraq to navigate a delicate security balancing act. With U.S. forces gone, Iraqi security agencies will need to assume full responsibility for counter‑terrorism operations, while Iran‑backed militias such as the Popular Mobilisation Forces retain considerable influence. France 24 warned that the vacuum could “embolden pro‑Iran elements,” and Al Jazeera raised questions about how Iraq’s security architecture will adapt without the logistical and intelligence support previously provided by the United States.
While the official end of the anti‑ISIS mission is a cause for celebration among many Iraqis, the country now faces an “uncertain future,” as described by The New York Times. The Iraqi government has pledged to strengthen its own armed forces and to pursue diplomatic avenues to maintain stability, but regional observers note that the loss of a major external security partner could test the resilience of Iraq’s fragile political equilibrium.
