
Departure comes after more than two decades of war, raising concerns over growing Iranian influence and a potential Islamic State resurgence.
US forces are set to withdraw from their final bases in Iraq by Wednesday, concluding over two decades of military presence and sparking concerns over increased Iranian influence.
AI-generated summary
The withdrawal agreement was reached in 2024 under President Joe Biden and is being carried out by Donald Trump's administration.
US forces are set to pull out from their last bases in Iraq by Wednesday, a departure celebrated as a victory by Iran and its allies who now have deep influence in the country where 4,500 Americans died during more than two decades of war.
Iraqi security experts say the withdrawal – agreed in 2024 under President Joe Biden and carried out by Donald Trump’s administration even as it wages war against Iran – could give Tehran and its powerful allies free rein, while also allowing other US enemies to stage a comeback, including Islamic State.
“Iran stands to benefit strategically from the coalition’s departure because it removes a military presence that for years acted as a counterweight to Tehran’s influence in Iraq,” said Jasim al-Bahadli, an Iraqi security analyst specialising in studying armed Shiite groups aligned with Iran.
He predicted that the pro-Iranian militia groups would not only portray the departure as a victory for their movement, but also “seek to translate that momentum into greater influence over security and political decision-making”.
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
US forces will complete pull out from last bases in Iraq by Wednesday
Very likely · Within days
On September 29, at a high-end interview at the 2026 Nishan World Civilization Forum held in Qufu, Shandong, experts from many countries discussed "civilizational exchanges and mutual learning and the new form of human civilization." Niu Xiping, vice president of the International Confucian Federation, suggested that the Confucian principle of "loyalty and forgiveness" should be elevated to a value criterion for resolving national conflicts.

Since Sichuan Province dispatched its first medical team in 1976, it has dispatched 98 batches of medical teams totaling 1,136 people to 10 countries including Mozambique and Timor-Leste in the past 50 years. From early clinical diagnosis and treatment to today's telemedicine and technical exchanges, Sichuan's foreign aid medical treatment has continued to deepen and has won the transnational trust of the local people.

The 2026 Cultural China·Nishan World Overseas Chinese Forum was held on September 29 in Qufu, Shandong. Since its establishment in 2022, the forum has gone through five sessions and has become an important practical carrier for gathering the concerted strength of Chinese people at home and abroad and deepening exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and foreign civilizations.

The Chinese restaurant "Xi Jinping" named after the Chinese leader in Bundang District, Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, was broken into by four Chinese men in the early morning of the 24th and vandalized with spray paint. The store reopened on the 29th after cleaning up and announced that it would change its name to avoid further controversy and destruction.
The 2026 China International Confucius Cultural Festival "Golden Sound and Jade Vibration" exchange performance of ethnic instrumental music in cities along the Grand Canal was held on the evening of September 28 at the Liaohe Grand Theater in Jining. Twelve folk music teams from along the canal and Yingjisha County in Xinjiang gathered together to attend the grand event using music as a bridge.

Iran's Court of Appeal confirmed the sentence of 74 lashes and a ban on singer Palasto Ahmadi for performing without a hijab, triggering strong condemnation from human rights activists.