US troops to withdraw from Iraq after more than a decade
Quick Look
- US forces are set to withdraw from their remaining military bases in Iraq on Wednesday, marking the end of a deployment that began in 2014 to combat ISIS.
- Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi declared October 1 as Sovereignty Day to commemorate the withdrawal.
- Iran and its allies celebrated the move as a triumph for their 'axis of resistance', while expressing concerns about potential security vacuums and the regrouping of ISIS remnants by Iran-backed militias.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
US forces were deployed to Iraq and Syria in 2014 to combat the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group after it seized large territories in both countries. IS was defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019, but coalition forces remained to fight remnants. The withdrawal comes 23 years after the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
After more than ten years, US forces are to withdraw from their remaining military bases in Iraq on Wednesday.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi declared that October 1, the day following the coalition's departure, should be celebrated as Sovereignty Day.
It is "a national occasion that affirms the completion of Iraq's path toward sovereignty and consolidates the presence of the state and its institutions," the heads of the executive, legislative and judicial branches said on Monday.
The troops were delpoyed in Iraq and Syria in 2014, to tackle the "Islamic State" (IS) terrorist group, which had taken over large swathes of both countries.
The IS was defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019, but coalition forces stayed on to battle the group's remnants.
The complete departure of US troops from Iraq comes 23 years after US-led forces toppled Saddam Hussein, triggering widespread upheaval and chaos, before the rise of IS.
Iran celebrates US withdrawal from Iraq
Iran and its allies celebrated the withdrawal of US forces, which was agreed upon in 2024 by then-US President Joe Biden. The agreement has now been executed under Donald Trump's term even as US continues to wage a war against Iran.
Iran, which wants a US-free Middle East, sees the US pullout from Iraq as a triumph for its "axis of resistance" of allied armed groups across the region.
The withdrawal of the US troops from Iraq has raised threats of diminished security in the region as Iran-backed Shi'ite militias are vying to gain more control and potentially regroup 'IS'.
Edited by: Elizabeth Schumacher
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Iran-backed Shi'ite militias will attempt to gain more control in Iraq following the US withdrawal
Likely · Within weeks
Iraq will face heightened security challenges as various groups seek to fill the power vacuum left by departing US forces
Possible · Within months
Open Questions
- How will Iraq's security forces maintain stability without US support?
- What specific measures will Iran-backed militias take to expand their influence?
- Is there a risk of ISIS regrouping in the power vacuum left by US forces?
