The Last U.S. Troops Leave Iraq, Ending the 12-Year Mission Against ISIS — Trump Calls It the End of "a Very Expensive Excursion Into Hell" and "a Decisive Victory Over ISIS," While Iran-Backed Militias That Were Supposed to Disarm Celebrate
On Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, the Pentagon announced that the last U.S. forces had left Erbil Air Base in Iraq's Kurdistan region, completing the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq and ending Operation Inherent Resolve, the counter-ISIS mission that began in 2014. The Sept. 30 deadline was set in a 2024 agreement negotiated by the Biden administration, which the Trump administration carried out. The coalition headquarters is relocating to Jordan, and counter-ISIS operations continue in Syria. The pullout comes in the eighth month of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Kurdish officials said their region had absorbed more than 1,000 drone and ballistic-missile attacks during the conflict and voiced concern about the removal of U.S. air defenses, and Iran-backed militias including Kataib Hezbollah, which were supposed to disarm, celebrated the exit; Iraq's government has pushed its militia disarmament deadline to June 2027. Trump hailed the withdrawal on social media and at a White House event, and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi called it the start of "a new phase, one defined by Iraq's sovereignty."
“[On social media, on the completed withdrawal:] [The United States] had a choice to stay or to leave, and felt, without question, that it was time for America to go home! … This Day is a victory for the United States, a victory for Iraq, and a decisive victory over ISIS [— the end of] a very expensive excursion into Hell.”