Overview
- Iraqi government officials reported that the last U.S. combat and logistical forces have departed the country, completing a 2024 agreement to end the U.S. presence, while the United States had not immediately issued its own confirmation.
- About 2,500 U.S. personnel had remained in recent years as trainers and advisers at sites including Erbil, near Baghdad airport and the Green Zone, and those functions are now being withdrawn from Iraqi soil.
- Kurdistan Regional Government leader Masrur Barsani said the pullout leaves the Kurdish region vulnerable after hundreds of rocket and drone attacks since February, and Baghdad controls purchases of heavy air-defence systems that Erbil cannot acquire on its own.
- A parallel program to disarm and fold powerful Iran-aligned militias into state security forces was delayed and is now scheduled for June 2027, creating a security and political gap that critics say will strengthen Tehran’s influence.
- Analysts warn the exit raises short-term risks from active Islamic State cells, potential militia attacks on regional infrastructure, and a reassessment of multinational training missions, while the move must be read against two decades of U.S. engagement that began with the 2003 invasion.