US ends 23-year military presence in Iraq

The United States has formally ended its 23-year military presence in Iraq, with American forces vacating their remaining bases on Wednesday, thereby closing a mission that began with the 2003 invasion to topple Saddam Hussein, even though Washington will retain a targeted training and intelligence role.

The withdrawal, agreed in 2024 under then-President Joe Biden, has now been implemented by President Donald Trump's administration, and the Pentagon confirmed that the US-led coalition had officially concluded Operation Inherent Resolve. Nevertheless, Washington will continue to provide focused training and intelligence support to its Iraqi partners. The departure comes more than two decades after US-led forces invaded on 19 March 2003 and became embroiled in years of insurgency and sectarian bloodshed. Although American troops left at the end of 2011, they returned less than three years later, following the rise of Islamic State (IS), to help Iraqi forces combat the militants.

Since 2020, the US military footprint had been steadily scaled back, with around 4,500 personnel remaining in the country before the final pullout. Throughout this period, Washington furnished extensive training, intelligence, and other assistance to bolster Iraq's security forces. Consequently, the withdrawal marks the culmination of a gradual transition from direct combat involvement to a more limited advisory partnership, rather than an abrupt rupture.

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The departure has been welcomed by many Iraqis and hailed by Iran and its allies as a strategic triumph; however, it has also heightened fears of a security vacuum and a resurgence of militant activity. Iraqi security officials and analysts have cautioned that IS sleeper cells could exploit any deterioration in stability, while Iran-backed armed groups may wield greater influence in the absence of a Western military presence. Nonetheless, Iraqi authorities are now expected to shoulder greater responsibility for national security as the country enters a new phase in its post-war relationship with Washington.