The Pentagon confirmed on Wednesday in a statement that the United States (US) has withdrawn its forces from the remaining bases in Iraq, ending a 12-year mission to fight the Islamic State (ISIS) group.
The statement further added that Washington will continue to provide targeted training and intelligence support to Iraqi partners lest ISIS reconstitute in Iraqi territory.
"Today, the United States and our Coalition partners formally concluded Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq, consistent with the September 2024 U.S.-Iraq joint statement and U.S. national interests. The orderly departure of Coalition forces and equipment from Erbil Air Base marks the successful conclusion of the military mission that defeated ISIS in Iraq'' the statement read.
The departure, agreed in 2024 under the then US President Joe Biden, is being carried out by Donald Trump's administration even as it wages war against Iran.
"The primary responsibility for addressing Iraq's remaining security challenges, including ISIS remnants and Iran-aligned militias that undermine Iraqi sovereignty and regional stability, now rests with the Government of Iraq," the statement read.
The move, which came in the midst of an ongoing war between the United States and Iran that has also sometimes spilled over into Iraq, was touted by Baghdad as a sign of the country's increasing strength and sovereignty.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi presided over the handover ceremony and described the US withdrawal as the beginning of a “a new phase, one defined by Iraq's sovereignty, the strength of its institutions, the readiness of its forces, the unity of its decision-making, and balanced partnerships with its friends”.
The withdrawal was also celebrated by Iran-backed groups but raised concerns among some other other Iraqis, particularly in the Kurdish region.
US troops invaded Iraq in 2003 to topple Saddam Hussein. They departed in 2011, but three years later, Iraqi authorities invited a smaller US-led mission to fight the Islamic State group, which had rampaged across Iraq, seizing large swaths of territory.
With the extremist group reduced to scattered sleeper cells, Washington and Baghdad agreed in 2024 to wind the mission down.
US troops pulled out of bases in most areas of Iraq last year but maintained a small presence of hundreds of troops in the semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region.
The final departure comes 23 years after US-led forces toppled Saddam Hussein, which then triggered upheaval and chaos, culminating with the rise of Islamic State.
Some Baghdad residents welcomed the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces from Iraq on Wednesday, while others in the northern city of Erbil voiced their concern about the possible threat from Islamic State.
In Baghdad's Tahrir Square, traffic passed billboards declaring September 30 as 'National Sovereignty Day'.
Ahmed Saleh, a 70-year-old Baghdad resident, described the departure as a moment of joy and called on armed groups to hand over their weapons to the state.
In Erbil, Azad Hassan, 62, said he feared Islamic State could regain ground and said he had little confidence in either the governments of the federal government and the semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region.
(With inputs from Reuters & AP via PTI )