+34
This final withdrawal of troops ends a 12-year mission to fight the Islamic State group, after the US began winding down its military presence in Iraq in 2024.
A member of the Iraq i security forces walks past an Iraq i flag as US military presence comes to an end. The US military has completed the withdrawal of its troops from Iraq, ending a 12-year mission to fight the Islamic State group.
The move was touted by Baghdad as a sign of the country's increasing strength and sovereignty, while Kurdish officials have expressed concern over the removal of US air defence systems in the region. Iraq's Kurdish region has faced more than 1,000 drone and ballistic-missile attacks during the recent US-Iran conflict, officials say. The US military has completed the withdrawal of its troops from Iraq, ending a 12-year mission to fight the Islamic State group.
The last troops have left the last air base where they had been maintaining a presence in northern Iraq under an agreement between Baghdad and Washington, the military announced on Wednesday. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement that US troops and equipment had completed an "orderly departure" from the air base in Irbil, in northern Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region.
"This milestone reflects the success of a 12-year campaign that defeated ISIS as an organised military threat in Iraq and across the region," he said. "It also marks a transition from a wartime coalition mission to an Iraqi-led security effort supported by a more normal bilateral security relationship.
" Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi presided over the handover ceremony and described the US withdrawal as the beginning of a "a new phase, one defined by Iraq's sovereignty, the strength of its institutions, the readiness of its forces, the unity of its decision-making, and balanced partnerships with its friends". Some Iraqis say the US troop withdrawal is a breakthrough moment for the nation.
The move, which comes in the midst of an ongoing war between the United States and Iran that has also sometimes spilled over into Iraq, was touted by Baghdad as a sign of the country's increasing strength and sovereignty. Officials in Iraq's Kurdish region have expressed anxiety about the departure and particularly about the removal of US air defence systems.
The Kurdish regional government's Peshmerga Ministry said the Kurdish region had faced more than 1,000 drone and ballistic-missile attacks during the recent US-Iran conflict.
"The departure of the United States from the Kurdistan Region under these complex regional circumstances, without the provision of a defense system, is a matter of concern," the statement said. The Iraqi government initially linked the September 30 deadline for US withdrawal to the disarmament of non-state armed groups by that date.
While a handful of less-influential militias have agreed to turn over their weapons, powerful groups close to Iran rejected the prospect or set conditions for disarming that the government would be unlikely to meet. Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has since walked back the deadline. He told The New York Times earlier this month that the deadline for militia disarmament has been pushed to June 2027.
"The expulsion of the occupation forces, defeated, from the land of Iraq is the beginning of full sovereignty," Abu Mujahid al-Assaf, a security official with the powerful Kataib Hezbollah militia, said in a statement. He added a warning to Mr al-Zaidi and his government not to carry out American plans, threatening that "any government that does not work for the benefit of the people will be overthrown by all means.
"Iraqi forces have supported US efforts to combat Islamic State. They departed in 2011, but three years later, Iraqi authorities invited a smaller US-led mission to fight the Islamic State group, which had rampaged across Iraq, seizing large swaths of territory. With the extremist group reduced to scattered sleeper cells, Washington and Baghdad agreed in 2024 to wind the mission down.
US troops pulled out of bases in most areas of Iraq last year but maintained a small presence of hundreds of troops in the semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region. Bases there have regularly come under attack since the US and Israel launched their war against Iran on February 28. AP
Us Withdrawal Islamic State Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi Troops Ali Al-Zaidi Us Withdrawal Iraq Withdrawal
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News: You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Chiko Roll turns 75 as Australia still eats 17 million a yearThe Chiko Roll celebrates 75 years in 2024, with Australians eating about 17 million of the deep-fried snack annually since its 1951 launch at the Wagga Wagga agricultural show.
Read more »
Giants star completes medical at Vic club as move looms; Crows tall ‘requests trade’ — WhispersGiants star completes medical at Vic club as move looms; Crows tall ‘requests trade’ — Whispers
Read more »
‘Love us or hate us’: MKR’s Alisha and Deanne refuse to back down after explosive walkoutThe feisty team from South Australia accused judge Colin Fassnidge of taking sides, but the chef has his own piece of advice for the mums.
Read more »
Australia Recognises Palestine as Israel and US Accuse PA of Reb anding Pay for Slay SchemeAustralia's recognition of Palestinian statehood rests on PA commitments to end prisoner payments, but Israel and the US say the pay for slay scheme continues under a new name.
Read more »
Luke Gosling Seeks Withdrawal of Assault ChargesFederal MP Luke Gosling is asking prosecutors to withdraw two assault charges related to an incident involving Northern Territory Administrator David Connolly at the NT Thailand Grand Festival in July. His defence team says the evidence is insufficient and alleges a key witness statement may be confused or collusive. Gosling also faces a charge of breaching bail conditions.
Read more »
Missouri Williams and China Miéville among writers on ‘adventurous’ Goldsmiths shortlistSix writers are in contention for the £10,000 books prize, which celebrates fiction that ‘breaks the mould or extends the possibilities of the novel form’
Read more »