The United States military has announced the completion of its troop withdrawal from Iraq, bringing an end to a 12-year mission aimed at combating the Islamic State group.
The final US troops left an air base in Erbil, in northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, under an agreement reached between Baghdad and Washington two years ago.
The withdrawal comes amid the ongoing war between the United States and Iran, which has at times spilled into Iraq. Iran-backed militias have carried out attacks against US forces, while the US has targeted militia positions.
The Iraqi government described the withdrawal as a significant step toward strengthening the country’s sovereignty and security institutions.
US Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the troops and military equipment had completed an “orderly departure” from the Erbil air base.
He said the withdrawal marked the success of a 12-year campaign that defeated ISIS as an organised military threat in Iraq and the wider region.
According to Parnell, the departure also signals a shift from a wartime coalition mission to an Iraqi-led security operation supported by a more conventional bilateral security relationship.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi presided over a handover ceremony and described the withdrawal as the beginning of a new phase focused on Iraq’s sovereignty, stronger state institutions, and balanced partnerships with other countries.
The departure has been welcomed by Iran-backed groups, while some Iraqis, particularly in the Kurdish region, have expressed concerns about the implications of the US withdrawal.
Questions also remain over the future of armed Iraqi militias. The Baghdad government has sought to disarm some of the groups, but efforts have so far made limited progress.
Police were deployed in Baghdad ahead of a rally by the Popular Mobilization Forces to celebrate the departure of US forces.
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