US completes troop withdrawal from Iraq, ending 12-year mission
The US military has completed the withdrawal of all American troops from Iraq, ending a 12-year mission against the Islamic State group. President Trump called the conclusion of the deployment "a very expensive excursion into Hell".
The United States military announced on Wednesday that it has completed the withdrawal of all American troops from Iraq, ending a 12-year mission to fight the Islamic State group. The last US troops left an air base in northern Iraq under a deal agreed between Baghdad and Washington two years ago, meeting a 30 September deadline.
President Donald Trump hailed the conclusion of the deployment, calling it "a very expensive excursion into Hell" and describing the withdrawal as "orderly". At a White House event he blamed "very bad decision making" for America's entry into what he called a "quagmire" lasting many years, and said the move was a victory for the US and Iraq and a sign of victory over the Islamic State group.
Baghdad presented the end of the mission as a sign of Iraq's growing strength and sovereignty. The departure was celebrated by Iran-backed groups but drew concern in the Kurdish region, where many fear a resurgence of the Islamic State and further attacks by Iran-linked militias.
The withdrawal comes against the backdrop of the ongoing US-Iran war, which has at times spilled into Iraq, with Iran-backed militias firing on American troops and the US striking their strongholds.