U.S. Completes Troop Withdrawal From Iraq as Iran-Aligned Forces Claim Victory

U.S. Central Command announced on September 30, 2026, that the last American troops had completed an "orderly departure" from Iraq, ending a roughly 12-year military presence that began with the 2014 campaign against the Islamic State group. About 2,500 U.S. troops had been stationed in the country; their departure, negotiated with Baghdad by the Biden administration in 2024, marks the second full U.S. withdrawal from Iraq since the 2003 invasion. President Trump called the exit a "History"-making end to "very bad decision-making," while Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi marked the moment with a ceremony crediting Iraqi forces with taking "full control" of the country's security.

Iranian-aligned media framed the withdrawal as a victory, and the departure comes amid an active U.S.-Iran conflict that has reshaped the regional security picture since the 2024 agreement was signed. Analysts have raised questions about whether Iran-aligned militias or a resurgent ISIS could gain ground in Iraq now that U.S. forces are gone.