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The Pentagon says US forces have finished leaving Iraq, 23 years after the invasion
September 30, 2026
The Pentagon says the last US troops and equipment have left an air base in northern Iraq, closing out a withdrawal Baghdad and Washington agreed on two years ago.
US forces first arrived in Iraq on March 20, 2003.
Key facts
- The pullout was settled two years ago and is happening during the war between the US and Iran, which has reached into Iraq through attacks by militias Tehran backs on American forces and US strikes on their bases.
AP News reports that Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell announced in a Wednesday statement that US troops and their equipment had made an "orderly departure" from the final air base they held in northern Iraq. AP News places the pullout inside an agreement Baghdad and Washington reached two years ago, and it sets the departure against the US conflict with Iran, which has at times reached into Iraq through attacks by Iran-backed militias and US strikes on their strongholds. Parnell said, "this milestone reflects the success of a 12-year campaign that defeated ISIS as an organized military threat in Iraq and across the region."
AP News is the one outlet read in full on the departure, and the Pentagon's account of the mission's end rests on its own statement.
Still developing
What US presence remains in Iraq after the departure was still forming as of the time of this draft.
How settled the reporting is
Sources
- AP News — The US military says its withdrawal of troops from Iraq is complete - Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal
- U.S. Department of War (.gov) — Statement by Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell on the Conclusion of the U.S. Military Mission in Iraq
Toggle read the full reports of 1 of the 4 outlets counted on this event. The other 3 are counted from their headlines and opening sentences.