US completes troop withdrawal from Iraq after 12-year mission

The United States military has completed its withdrawal from Iraq, ending a 12-year mission that began with the campaign against the Islamic State group. The last troops and equipment have left the final air base in northern Iraq, according to the military. The handover marks the end of a major coalition presence and the start of a new phase in the security relationship between Baghdad and Washington.

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Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the departure from the base in Irbil was orderly. He said the move reflected the success of a 12-year campaign that defeated ISIS as an organised military threat in Iraq and across the region. He also said it marked 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 withdrawal as the beginning of a new phase. He said it would be 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. Baghdad has presented the departure as evidence of growing national strength and control over security matters.

The withdrawal is significant because it closes a long chapter in Iraq's post-2003 security landscape and changes the role of foreign forces in the country. It also comes amid continuing regional tensions linked to the conflict between the United States and Iran, which has at times spilled over into Iraq. For Iraq's Kurdish region, the change has raised particular concern because of the removal of US air defence systems.

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Officials in the Kurdish region have warned that the security environment remains fragile. They say the region has faced more than 1,000 drone and ballistic-missile attacks during the recent US-Iran conflict. That history helps explain why some Kurdish officials view the withdrawal not only as a political milestone for Baghdad, but also as a possible reduction in protection for the north of the country.

The handover also reflects a broader shift from a coalition wartime presence to a more limited bilateral arrangement. The US mission in Iraq was built around the fight against ISIS, but the latest announcement suggests that phase has now ended. What remains unclear is how Iraq's security forces will manage the risks that had previously been covered by the US presence, and how the new relationship will work in practice.

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