The United States has completed the withdrawal of its forces from Iraq, an Iraqi government official said Sunday, ahead of a September 30 deadline agreed between Washington and Baghdad in 2024 to end the US-led coalition's military mission in the country.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has called the deadline "fixed and final." According to the Pentagon, roughly 2,500 US troops had been stationed in Iraq in recent years, at bases in Erbil in the Kurdistan region, near Baghdad International Airport and in Baghdad's Green Zone. US forces had already withdrawn from most bases across the country last year, maintaining a presence mainly in the Kurdish region.
Italy said Tuesday it had also completed the withdrawal of its forces, ending a 12-year military presence. Rome had already pulled out most of its personnel by March, after an overnight airstrike targeted a base in the Kurdistan region. Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said the US-led Operation Inherent Resolve against ISIS and NATO Mission Iraq will continue operating from other countries, with the NATO mission temporarily based near Naples.
The pullout comes as Iraq absorbs the fallout of the war with Iran, including recent attacks on US sites and foreign troops. Critics have warned that the departure of American forces could leave the field open to Iran's powerful network of militias in Iraq, and to ISIS cells that remain active in remote areas.
US troops first entered Iraq in the 2003 invasion. They fully withdrew in 2011 before returning in 2014 to lead the fight against ISIS.
