Iraq marks end of US-led anti-ISIS coalition mission as withdrawal completes

The US-led coalition has formally ended its anti-Islamic State mission in Iraq after more than a decade, with the final phase of the withdrawal now complete. The move was marked in Baghdad as a sovereignty milestone, while also prompting concern that armed groups aligned with Iran could gain more room to operate. The coalition had deployed to Iraq and Syria in 2014, when Islamic State seized large areas of territory and triggered a wider regional security crisis.

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The end of the mission follows a 2024 agreement between Washington and Baghdad to wind down the coalition in stages. US troops had already been leaving bases across Iraq, with their presence reduced to the autonomous Kurdistan region before the latest pullout was completed. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said the country had entered a new phase defined by sovereignty, stronger institutions and the readiness of its forces.

Donald Trump also described the day as a victory for the United States, Iraq and the campaign against Islamic State. The withdrawal matters because the coalition did more than conduct air strikes and training. Kurdish Peshmerga fighters were central to the fight against Islamic State, and Iraqi factions also played a role in the wider campaign.

But the departure now raises questions about how Iraq will manage security without the same level of foreign military backing, especially as some pro-Iran armed groups have not disarmed and say they are not bound by any timeline to surrender their weapons. The timing is significant for Iraq's internal politics and for the wider regional balance. Baghdad believes the end of the coalition mission removes one of the main arguments used by armed factions to keep their arsenals, while critics fear the opposite outcome: that the withdrawal could strengthen those groups and deepen Iraq's exposure to regional conflict.

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The issue is also linked to Iraq's effort to assert state authority over peace and war, a goal the government has tied to its broader plan to bring weapons under constitutional control. The coalition's departure also closes a chapter that began after the 2003 US invasion, when American troop numbers later peaked at 170,000 in 2007 before a withdrawal in 2011. US forces returned in 2014 at Iraq's invitation after Islamic State's advance, and the mission remained politically sensitive even after the group was defeated territorially in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019.

In recent years, the US presence had been concentrated in northern Iraq, where it also provided intelligence, logistics and air defence support. What remains unclear is how quickly Iraq can replace the capabilities that are leaving, and whether armed factions will accept the government's timetable for disarmament. It is also not yet clear how the end of the coalition mission will affect support for counter-Islamic State operations in Syria or the wider regional security picture.

The next test will be whether Baghdad can strengthen state control without triggering a new confrontation with powerful armed groups.

United States forces have left their remaining bases in Iraq, bringing a phased withdrawal to a close as the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIL expires in the country. Baghdad is marking the change with four Sovereignty Days from September 30 to October 3, presenting the departure as a symbolic shift in Iraq's security posture. The move ends a long-running foreign military presence that has shaped Iraqi politics and security for more than two decades.

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The withdrawal follows a two-year process set out in a joint Iraq-US statement in September 2024, which said the coalition would wind down in two stages. Under that plan, combat operations inside Iraq were to end by September 2025 at the latest, while a second stage would continue until September 2026 to support operations against ISIL in Syria. In January, Iraq said coalition advisers had completed their withdrawal from federal areas, although logistical support for Syria continued through a base in Erbil in the Kurdish region.

The departure also includes military equipment, among it air defence systems that had been stationed in Iraq. Those systems in Erbil were reported to have helped intercept Iranian ballistic missiles and drones during the current regional conflict. Kurdish military commander Sirwan Barzani said Iraq could also lose US intelligence, logistical support and drones, highlighting the practical consequences of the exit beyond the troop numbers alone.

The timing matters because the withdrawal closes the coalition mission that began in 2015 after ISIL seized large areas of Iraq and Syria. US forces were concentrated in northern Iraq in recent years, with about 2,500 personnel, and the mission had remained politically sensitive even after the territorial defeat of ISIL. For Baghdad, the end of the mission is being framed as a sovereignty milestone, but it also removes a security backstop that has been part of Iraq's defence architecture for years.

The broader background is a long and uneven US military presence in Iraq. After the 2003 invasion, the number of US troops in the country reached 170,000 at the height of the occupation in 2007, before they were withdrawn under President Barack Obama in 2011. A later contingent returned in 2014 at Iraq's invitation after the rise of ISIL, mainly to provide air support and training to Iraqi forces.

The latest withdrawal therefore marks not just the end of a coalition mission, but another major turning point in the relationship between Baghdad and Washington. The Iraqi government has linked the withdrawal to a wider effort to restore state authority and reduce the role of armed groups outside government control. Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has said Iraq wants the state to be the ultimate decision-maker on peace and war, and that weapons should remain in the hands of constitutional institutions.

The government has also said it wants to accelerate efforts to disarm militias by June 2027, a plan that could prove difficult if powerful armed factions resist. The implications extend beyond Iraq's borders because the coalition's second stage was tied to support for operations against ISIL in Syria. The end of that arrangement raises questions about how regional counter-ISIL coordination will be maintained and whether Iraq can preserve security gains without direct foreign military backing.

It also comes as Baghdad tries to balance relations with Washington, manage pressure from pro-Iran groups, and avoid becoming a battleground for wider regional rivalries. What remains unclear is how quickly Iraq can replace the capabilities that are leaving with the US forces, and whether armed groups will accept the government's timetable for disarmament. It is also not yet clear how the end of the coalition mission will affect intelligence sharing, air defence, and support for any remaining threat from ISIL.

The next phase will be judged by whether Baghdad can strengthen state control without triggering a new confrontation with powerful factions.

Iraq has marked the departure of the remaining US troops from the country, opening a new phase in its security policy and relations with Washington. The government is holding four "Sovereignty Days" to commemorate what it describes as the complete withdrawal of foreign forces. The move follows the end of a coalition mission that began in 2015 to support operations against ISIS.

The withdrawal deadline on Wednesday was said to cover the last few hundred US soldiers still in Iraq, who had been serving in advisory roles. Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has linked the exit to a broader effort to restore state authority and reduce the role of armed groups outside government control. Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly last week, he said Iraq wanted the state to be the "ultimate decision-maker" on peace and war and that weapons should remain in the hands of constitutional institutions.

The government has also said it wants to accelerate efforts to disarm militias by June 2027. That includes several powerful pro-Iran groups that have carried out attacks across the region during the wider conflict involving Iran and Israel. Some of those groups have already signalled they may refuse to surrender their weapons, underlining the political difficulty of the plan.

The withdrawal therefore does not end Iraq's security challenges, but shifts them into a more domestic and politically sensitive phase. The change matters because the US military presence has long been one of the main arguments used by armed factions to justify keeping their own weapons and command structures. With that rationale weakened, Baghdad is trying to build a case that the state should hold a monopoly over force.

At the same time, the departure may create space for Iran to expand its influence, while also testing whether the Iraqi government can manage rival armed actors without direct foreign military backing. The coalition mission first launched in 2015 after ISIS seized large areas of Iraq and Syria, and the US role in Iraq has remained politically contentious ever since. For Iraqi leaders, the end of the mission is being presented not only as a security milestone but also as a symbolic step after more than two decades of foreign intervention.

The "Sovereignty Days" observance is intended to reinforce that message and frame the withdrawal as a national achievement. Ali al-Zaidi has said the relationship with Washington should now move from military cooperation to economic and development cooperation. That shift suggests Baghdad wants to preserve strategic ties while reducing the visibility of foreign troops on its soil.

It also reflects a wider balancing act, as Iraq seeks to avoid becoming a battleground for regional rivalries while maintaining internal stability. What remains unclear is how quickly the government can translate the withdrawal into real control over armed groups, and whether militias will comply with the disarmament timetable. It is also not yet clear how the end of the coalition mission will affect Iraq's security coordination against any remaining ISIS threat.

The next phase will be judged by whether Baghdad can strengthen state institutions without triggering a new confrontation with powerful factions.

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