The last American troops left Erbil Air Base on Wednesday, ending the 12-year U.S. mission against the Islamic State in Iraq. Baghdad now carries primary responsibility for the threats that remain, including ISIS remnants and Iran-aligned militias that haven't agreed to give up their weapons.
U.S. Central Command confirmed the departure. It ends the U.S. military presence in Iraq that began with the 2003 invasion. The wider counter-ISIS fight isn't over. Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve has moved its headquarters to Jordan, while U.S. forces continue counterterrorism operations in Syria with coalition partners and the Syrian government.
The Handover
The exit followed a 2024 agreement between Washington and Baghdad and a yearlong wind-down. Coalition forces began leaving federal Iraq last October. Erbil hosted most of roughly 1,500 American and coalition personnel, and it was the last stop. The U.S. had kept about 2,500 troops in Iraq in recent years.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell called it an “orderly departure.” He said the milestone “reflects the success of a 12-year campaign that defeated ISIS as an organized military threat in Iraq and across the region.” The U.S. will continue targeted training and intelligence support, he said. Responsibility for remaining challenges now rests with the Iraqi government. Parnell described the goal as “a strong sovereign Iraq that secures its borders, protects its people, and serves as the foundation for deeper commercial, diplomatic, and security cooperation.”
President Donald Trump called the withdrawal a victory for both countries. He described the campaign as “a very expensive excursion into Hell” and said that “it was a quagmire.” He praised Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi as “outstanding” and said he hopes al-Zaidi “will be able to handle things very well.”
In Baghdad, al-Zaidi presided over a ceremony and spoke of “a new phase, one defined by Iraq's sovereignty.” The government declared a two-day holiday and called Wednesday “sovereignty day.” Sabah al-Numan, spokesman for the chief of the Iraqi armed forces, said Iraq is moving “from working under the umbrella of the coalition to an equal relationship.”
The Militia Problem
The disarmament timeline didn't hold. Baghdad first tied the Sept. 30 deadline to disarming non-state armed groups. A handful of less influential militias agreed to hand over weapons. Powerful Iran-aligned groups rejected disarmament or set conditions the government was unlikely to meet. Al-Zaidi told The New York Times earlier this month the deadline had been pushed to June 2027.
NPR reported that al-Zaidi agreed at a July White House meeting with Trump to disarm the militias by Sept. 30, then asked for an extension. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration knew al-Zaidi was committed to the process. He didn't publicly say the U.S. had agreed to the delay.
The militias have answered in their own words. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed militias, said talks on regulating weapons produced no agreement. It said it was “not bound by any timeline or agreement.” Kataib Hezbollah security official Abu Mujahid al-Assaf called the departure “the beginning of full sovereignty” and warned that “any government that does not work for the benefit of the people will be overthrown by all means.”
Air Defense and Regional Risk
The concern is sharpest in the Kurdistan Region. Its Peshmerga Ministry said the region faced more than 1,000 drone and ballistic-missile attacks during the recent U.S.-Iran conflict. It called the U.S. departure “without the provision of a defense system” a matter of concern. Al-Numan said Iraq won't leave the region undefended and is discussing air defense purchases from South Korea, Turkey and the United States.
Iraqi forces are still fighting ISIS. Special forces said they killed two suicide bombers in Alton Kupri, near Kirkuk, on the Sunday before the report, before the men could detonate explosive vests. A civilian also died. Adm. Brad Cooper, the CENTCOM commander, said Iraqi forces, including the Peshmerga, now have the capacity “to unilaterally manage threats to their homeland.” Retired Iraqi Army Gen. Mohammed al-Jubouri told Reuters the key question is whether Iraq's security institutions have “a viable Plan B.” Abdulrahman al-Zobaie, a Sunni tribal leader in Fallujah, said Iraq “is still not fully ready to take over the security file.”
NPR reported that the Iraqi military's main U.S. support beyond air assets was intelligence, particularly signals intelligence using technology Iraq doesn't possess. The war with Iran hangs over all of it. Fox News reported that seven of 18 U.S. service members killed in Iranian attacks this year died in Iraq. Fox also reported that Jordan hosts roughly 4,000 U.S. troops and that three service members were killed at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in July.
The U.S. also holds financial leverage. Since 2003, Iraq's oil revenue has gone into accounts at the Federal Reserve Bank in New York, giving Washington significant leverage over Iraq's currency. Sheikh Kadhim al-Fartousi of the Kitaib Sayid al-Shuhada paramilitary group said the “exit of the occupier does not mean only that soldiers and equipment go.” He cited U.S. influence over Iraq's economy.
Separately, Foreign Policy reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth plans to cut reserved positions for generals and admirals by 20 percent, affecting around 800 people. The Pentagon said the cuts would reduce bureaucratic red tape. Critics said they could sideline experienced commanders.
Why This Matters:
The withdrawal tests whether a partner government can hold its own security after years of American subsidy and protection. Iraq has named the mission a success and asked for an equal relationship, while Washington has said responsibility now sits in Baghdad. Yet the militia deadline has slipped to June 2027, the Kurdistan Region lacks the air defenses it wants, and Iran-backed groups say they won't be bound by the government's timeline. U.S. forces remain within reach in Jordan and Syria, and Cooper has said they'll stay ready to respond. Taxpayers have funded a long and costly mission. Its payoff now depends on whether Iraqi institutions can hold.