US completes troop withdrawal from Iraq

The United States on September 30 completed the withdrawal of troops from Iraq, fulfilling the agreement between Washington and Baghdad on ending the international coalition's military mission against the Islamic State. The last American and coalition units left bases in the north of the country.

According to The Washington Post, at the final stage it concerned about 1,500 American and coalition service members. The bulk of the contingent was redeployed to Jordan, from where the US plans to continue operations against Islamic State cells in the region.

The withdrawal took place within the framework of the agreement that Washington and Baghdad concluded in 2024. Before that, American troops had already left most of the bases in central and western Iraq, but maintained a presence in the Kurdistan Region. It was from there that personnel, military equipment, and air defense systems were being evacuated in recent weeks.

Iraqi authorities declared the end of foreign military presence an important stage in restoring full control over the country's security. From September 30 to October 3, public institutions were given holidays as part of the so-called "Days of Sovereignty".

This does not mean a complete end to military relations between the US and Iraq. Washington and Baghdad plan to transition from the international coalition mission to regular bilateral security cooperation, including training of Iraqi forces and countering terrorist groups.

American troops first entered Iraq during the 2003 invasion. The main US combat contingent left the country at the end of 2011, but in 2014 American troops returned at the invitation of Baghdad after the Islamic State captured a significant part of Iraq and Syria.

At the peak of operations in 2007, the American contingent exceeded 170,000 troops. After the defeat of IS's territorial "caliphate", the scale of presence sharply decreased, and about 2,500 American service members remained in the country for training Iraqi forces and supporting counterterrorism operations.

The withdrawal is happening amid the growing influence of armed groups linked to Iran. The Iraqi government had previously planned to achieve by September 30 the transfer of weapons from non-state formations to state control, but some of the most influential groups refused to disarm. Now the responsibility for containing these forces and fighting the remnants of the Islamic State shifts to a much greater extent to the Iraqi security forces.

Previously, Kurs Ukrainy wrote that Washington planned to fully complete the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq by the end of September. Now this process has actually been completed.

Based on materials from: The Washington Post, DW, Ministry of Justice of Iraq