Last US troops leave Iraq

The United States has completed its military withdrawal from Iraq. The Pentagon announced it on Wednesday: the last soldiers left the air base in Erbil, in the autonomous Kurdistan region, under an agreement between Baghdad and Washington.

Last year American troops had already left bases across most of the country. Only a few hundred soldiers remained in Kurdistan, and according to local media, air defence systems were also moved out in recent weeks. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell described the departure as «orderly» and spoke of the success of a twelve-year campaign against the Islamic State. Security now passes to Iraqi control, while Washington will continue to provide targeted training and intelligence support.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi warned that the end of the international mission does not mean the end of the fight against terrorism. The country, he said, now takes full responsibility for its own security, and non-state armed groups will no longer be allowed to hold weapons.

Reactions from militias close to Tehran varied. Asaib Ahl al-Haq hailed the withdrawal as a victory against foreign military presence, calling on the government to also secure the departure of Turkish troops in the north of the country. Kata'ib Hezbollah struck a far more threatening tone, saying it was ready to overthrow the al-Zaidi government «by any means» if it acted against the interests of the people, and threatening to shoot down «enemy aircraft» in Iraqi airspace. Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, for his part, called on Washington to pay compensation for the damage caused by the occupation. In the Kurdish region, already hit hard during the war against Iran, concern is growing.

The disarmament question

The American withdrawal was supposed to proceed alongside the disarmament of pro-Iranian militias and their integration into state security structures. This step, announced by al-Zaidi, has however been postponed to June 2027: the strongest militias are so far refusing to hand over their weapons, and a forced disarmament risks reigniting violence.

The question of Germany's presence also remains open. The Bundeswehr's mandate in Erbil, covering up to 500 soldiers, expires in January, but according to Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, Germany could remain in Erbil even after the end of the multinational mission.

The withdrawal closes a chapter that began in 2003 with the US invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, continued in 2014 with the return of troops leading an international coalition against IS, which was declared militarily defeated in Iraq in 2017. Cells of the jihadist group remain active, however, responsible for sporadic attacks, while the confrontation between the United States and Iran on Iraqi soil, which led in 2020 to the killing of General Qassem Soleimani, has not yet ended.