US Military Mission in Iraq Ends After 12 Years
The United States formally concluded its military mission in Iraq on Wednesday, September 30, 2026. The US military announced the completion of the withdrawal of its final troops from the country. This marked the end of a nearly 12-year-long US military campaign against the Islamic State (ISIS) that began in 2014. The last US troops departed from the military base in Erbil, located in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region of northern Iraq. US defense officials described the withdrawal of troops and military equipment as an orderly process. With the conclusion of the US military mission, the primary responsibility for Iraq’s security will now rest with its own security forces. However, the US has clarified that security ties with Iraq will not cease entirely despite the troop withdrawal; the US will continue to assist Iraqi security forces through targeted training and intelligence cooperation in the future. The agreement for the withdrawal of US troops was reached in 2024 between the administration of then-US President Joe Biden and the Iraqi government. That agreement established a two-phase arrangement. Under the first phase, the US-led international coalition’s military mission in Iraq was to conclude by September 2025. The second phase provided for continued support—from Iraq-based platforms—for the ongoing campaign against ISIS in northeastern Syria until September 2026. The timeline for this second phase has now also elapsed. The plan, formulated during the Biden administration, was subsequently continued by the Donald Trump administration. Over the past year, the US military had reduced troop numbers at bases across most parts of Iraq. In the final stage, the primary US presence was limited to Erbil and the surrounding northern region; the military mission ended on Wednesday with the departure of the last troops from there as well. The history of the US military presence in Iraq spans more than two decades. A US-led military attack was launched against Iraq in 2003, leading to the fall of the government of then-President Saddam Hussein. Subsequently, a large number of US troops remained deployed in Iraq for several years. The US withdrew the majority of its troops from Iraq at the end of 2011.
