The United States will withdraw all of its remaining troops from Iraq by the end of September this year, according to a joint announcement by the US and Iraqi governments.
During a meeting at the White House with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi, US President Donald Trump said he did not believe there was any longer a need for American troops to remain in Iraq. He added that relations between the two countries were increasingly centered on economic cooperation, particularly in the energy sector.
“This is becoming a much stronger economic partnership than a military one,” Trump said.
He added that the United States would continue to support Iraq and provide security assistance if requested, but stressed that maintaining a permanent military presence was no longer necessary.
Prime Minister Al-Zaidi confirmed that all US troops stationed in Iraq are expected to leave by September 30. However, he said American companies would continue operating in the country as before.
In a statement, the US Department of Defense said the withdrawal would complete an agreement reached with Iraq in 2024 to end the US-led military mission against the ISIS militant group in the country.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the future defense relationship between Washington and Baghdad would focus on long-term security cooperation and strengthening regional stability, rather than maintaining a large American military presence.
The withdrawal follows an agreement negotiated under former US President Joe Biden. Since then, the number of American troops in Iraq has steadily declined as responsibility for counter-ISIS operations has increasingly been transferred to Iraqi security forces trained and supported by the United States.
A Military Presence That Began in 2003
The US military first entered Iraq in March 2003, launching an invasion that toppled the government of then-President Saddam Hussein. The invasion was justified by claims that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction, allegations that were later proven to be false.
Years later, former US President George W. Bush acknowledged that no such weapons had been found.
Studies estimate that nearly half a million people lost their lives during the conflict between 2003 and 2011.
At the height of the war in 2007, around 170,000 US troops were deployed in Iraq. Under President Barack Obama, most American forces withdrew in 2011. However, US troops returned in 2014 at the request of the Iraqi government after ISIS seized large parts of the country.
Following the defeat of ISIS, the US officially ended its combat mission in Iraq in 2021. Since then, the American presence has been limited to military advisers, trainers, and a small number of support personnel. With the planned withdrawal by the end of September, the United States will bring its military deployment in Iraq to a close after 23 years.
