What happened
The US military has completed its withdrawal of troops from Iraq, marking the end of a 12-year mission to combat the Islamic State group. The last US troops departed from the last air base in northern Iraq, where they had been stationed under an agreement between Baghdad and Washington.
The withdrawal was celebrated by Iran-backed groups, but raised concerns among some Iraqis, particularly in the Kurdish region. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi described the US withdrawal as the beginning of a new phase, defined by Iraq's sovereignty and the strength of its institutions.
The US had initially invaded Iraq in 2003 to topple Saddam Hussein, and then departed in 2011. However, Iraqi authorities invited a smaller US-led mission to fight the Islamic State group in 2014, after the extremist group had seized large swaths of territory.
With the Islamic State group reduced to scattered sleeper cells, Washington and Baghdad agreed in 2024 to wind down the mission. US troops pulled out of bases in most areas of Iraq last year, but maintained a small presence in the semiautonomous northern Kurdish region.
The effects of the US withdrawal may not be immediately visible, but officials in Iraq's Kurdish region have expressed anxiety about the departure, particularly the removal of US air defense systems. Iran-allied groups in Iraq have celebrated the US withdrawal, with one security official warning the Iraqi government not to carry out American plans.
