Pentagon Confirms Complete Withdrawal of US Troops From Iraq

The US Department of War (Pentagon) confirmed on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, that the last US troops deployed to Iraq under the anti-ISIL coalition mission have left the country. According to Al Jazeera, Defense Department spokesman Sean Parnell said the remaining US and coalition forces conducted an "orderly departure" from the Erbil Airbase in Iraq's Kurdistan region, taking related equipment with them. Parnell said the withdrawal marks "the success of a 12-year campaign" that defeated ISIL as an organized military threat in Iraq and the region, and that primary responsibility for Iraq's remaining security challenges, including ISIL remnants and Iran-aligned militias, now rests with Iraq's government. According to Mehr News Agency, Iraqi factions including al-Nujaba and Hashd al-Shaabi hailed the withdrawal as a "victory" and called for a complete end to the US military and diplomatic presence in Iraq.