Last US troops leave Iraq after more than two decades

The last remaining US troops have left Iraq, bringing to an end a military presence that began in 2003. The withdrawal marks the close of more than two decades of deployment in a country that has faced repeated instability since the fall of Saddam Hussein. Iraqi officials now face the task of managing future security challenges without the same direct US military footprint.

Sponsored

The departure was confirmed in a report published on 29 September 2026, which said the US military presence in Iraq had come to an end. The deployment began when US forces entered Iraq in 2003 to remove Saddam Hussein from power. The report said the country later went through a series of crises after his ousting, with violence and instability weakening state institutions.

It also noted that the US has been accused of contributing to the chaos that followed, even as some argue it helped prevent a wider collapse. The end of the deployment is significant because it changes the security balance in Iraq at a time when the government is being asked to stand on its own. The report framed the moment as a new reality for Baghdad, raising questions about whether Iraqi institutions are ready to handle future threats without the same level of external military support.

It also leaves open the question of who, if anyone, will gain influence from the US departure. The withdrawal comes against the backdrop of Iraq's long struggle to recover from the upheaval that followed the 2003 invasion. Since then, the country has endured cycles of violence that have shaped its politics, security services and relations with outside powers.

Sponsored

The US role in Iraq has remained one of the most consequential foreign military interventions in the Middle East, and its end is likely to be watched closely by regional governments and security analysts. The report did not give details on the exact timing or route of the final departure, and it did not say what arrangements, if any, will replace the US military presence. It also did not set out how Iraq plans to respond to future security threats.

What remains clear is that Baghdad now enters a new phase in which its ability to manage security on its own will be tested. Further attention will focus on how Iraqi leaders describe the next steps, whether any new security partnerships emerge, and how regional actors respond to the change. The broader implications for Iraq's stability, sovereignty and military readiness are likely to develop over time.

For now, the departure closes a chapter that began in 2003 and has shaped Iraq's modern history.

#Iraq #UnitedStatesmilitary #withdrawal #security #SaddamHussein

Sponsored