Baghdad, Oct 1:
The United States has completed the withdrawal of its military forces from Iraq, ending a 12-year mission launched to help defeat the Islamic State group.
The last US troops and equipment left Iraq on Wednesday, with the final departure taking place from the Erbil area in northern Iraq. The Pentagon described the withdrawal as an orderly transition from a wartime coalition mission to an Iraqi-led security effort.
The US returned to Iraq in 2014 after Islamic State militants captured large parts of the country. American forces helped Iraqi troops in the campaign that eventually dismantled ISIS as an organised territorial force.
Washington has said the withdrawal does not mean an end to security cooperation with Baghdad. The US will continue providing targeted training and intelligence support to Iraqi partners.
The pullout was agreed upon by the US and Iraq in 2024 and has been carried forward by the Trump administration. For years, around 2,500 US troops were stationed in Iraq.
The withdrawal has been welcomed by Iran and groups allied with it, while some Iraqi and Kurdish officials have expressed concern over the possibility of a security gap and a resurgence of militant groups.