The United States has completed the withdrawal of its remaining military forces from Iraq, marking the end of a 12-year mission aimed at combating the Islamic State (IS) group. The final troops departed an air base in Erbil, in northern Iraq, pursuant to a 2024 agreement between Baghdad and Washington. This move comes amid ongoing tensions between the US and Iran, which have at times escalated within Iraq, as Iranian-backed militias have targeted American forces and the US has responded with strikes against militia strongholds.
The withdrawal concludes more than two decades of US military involvement in Iraq, which began with the 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. US forces initially withdrew in 2011 but returned in 2014 at the Iraqi government's invitation to assist in countering IS, which at that time controlled large areas of the country. Following the defeat of IS’s self-proclaimed caliphate in 2017, the US gradually reduced its presence, culminating in the full exit earlier this week.
Baghdad has portrayed the withdrawal as a demonstration of Iraq’s growing sovereignty and strength. However, the departure has elicited mixed reactions domestically. While many Iraqis welcome the end of the US military presence, concerns persist regarding the capability of Iraqi security forces to maintain stability without American support. Despite years of training and funding by the US, some analysts and officials argue that security forces remain vulnerable amid ongoing threats.
A prominent concern involves the empowerment of Iranian-backed Shia militias. These groups have been steadily entrenched in Iraq’s political and security landscape since Saddam Hussein’s fall and have been accused of exerting undue influence over state institutions. Some experts warn that in the absence of a Western military presence, these militias may expand their role further and shape government policies to their advantage.
Additionally, Iraqi security officials in both the federal government and the semi-autonomous Kurdish region have expressed apprehension that the withdrawal could enable IS sleeper cells to become more active once again. Although IS no longer holds significant territory, the group maintains a covert network that continues to pose a security threat.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has hailed the US exit as a triumph for Tehran and its “axis of resistance” across the Middle East. The IRGC urged Americans to reject political allies of former US President Donald Trump, whose administration completed the withdrawal despite ongoing US-Iran tensions. This development fits within Iran’s broader goal of ending all American military presence in the region.
The US Pentagon has stated it will continue providing targeted training and intelligence support to Iraqi forces, even after the physical withdrawal of troops. Meanwhile, the legacy of the US military’s years in Iraq remains complex, encompassing significant loss of life—including the deaths of about 4,500 American service members—and deeply rooted political and security challenges for the country.