Trump Announces Final U.S. Troops Leaving Iraq as Washington Declares End of Anti-ISIS Mission

The central claim in the image is real: President Donald Trump announced on September 30 that the final U.S. forces were leaving Iraq, marking the formal end of the American-led military mission against ISIS inside the country.

 

 

 

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Trump described the withdrawal as a “victory for the United States,” a “victory for Iraq” and a decisive victory over ISIS.

He also said the departure represented the conclusion of a costly American military involvement that began with the 2003 invasion and later expanded into the fight against Islamic State.

The final American troops departed from Erbil in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, completing a withdrawal that had been carried out gradually over the preceding months.

The Pentagon described the move as the successful conclusion of the military mission that defeated ISIS in Iraq.

 

 

 

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The withdrawal was not originally designed by Trump's administration.

Washington and Baghdad reached an agreement in 2024 under President Joe Biden to end the coalition's military mission in Iraq, with the final deadline set for September 30, 2026.

Trump's administration continued implementing that agreement after returning to office.

The final stage therefore represents both the completion of a previously negotiated timetable and a policy decision by Trump to allow the withdrawal to proceed rather than extend the military presence.

The history stretches back much further.

The United States invaded Iraq in 2003 to overthrow Saddam Hussein. American forces eventually withdrew in 2011, but returned in 2014 after ISIS captured large areas of Iraq and Syria.

 

 

 

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The renewed U.S. military mission was centered on defeating ISIS and supporting Iraqi security forces.

ISIS lost its territorial control in Iraq in 2017, while the group's territorial “caliphate” in Syria was subsequently defeated in 2019. Coalition forces nevertheless remained to support counterterrorism operations and prevent a resurgence.

Trump's statement that ISIS has been “completely decimated” reflects his description of the military campaign, but the group has not disappeared entirely.

Islamic State remnants and sleeper cells remain a security concern, particularly as the international military presence changes.

That concern has become especially significant because the withdrawal occurs during a wider regional conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran.

Iran-aligned armed groups operating inside Iraq have also been involved in attacks and regional tensions.

 

 

 

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Reuters reported that Iran and allied Iraqi militias viewed the American departure as a strategic victory, while some Iraqi officials and security experts warned that the withdrawal could increase Tehran's influence.

Other Iraqi voices welcomed the departure as an important step toward national sovereignty.

The Kurdish authorities expressed particular concern about losing American air-defense and intelligence capabilities.

Officials in the Kurdistan region said the departure comes at a difficult moment because regional attacks have increased and ISIS sleeper cells remain a potential threat.

The Iraqi government, meanwhile, has been attempting to strengthen its control over armed factions operating within the country.

A deadline for some militias to surrender their weapons has reportedly been postponed to June 2027, illustrating the continuing challenge facing Baghdad.

 

 

 

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Trump also placed Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi prominently in his announcement.

He praised al-Zaidi as a leader he had supported and endorsed, saying he believed the Iraqi prime minister would be capable of managing the country after the American military departure.

Trump contrasted the Iraq withdrawal with the U.S. departure from Afghanistan in 2021.

He emphasized that American equipment was being removed from Iraq and portrayed the departure as orderly, unlike the chaotic images associated with the end of the Afghanistan war.

The withdrawal does not mean that all American involvement with Iraq suddenly disappears.

The United States is shifting away from a large combat presence, while security cooperation, training and intelligence relationships can continue under the new framework.

 

 

 

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The broader regional counter-ISIS mission is also being adjusted.

Rather than maintaining the same military footprint inside Iraq, American forces supporting operations against ISIS are expected to operate from neighboring Jordan, allowing Washington to maintain counterterrorism capabilities without the previous deployment inside Iraq.

The image's historical timeline is broadly correct in saying that the mission began after the 2003 invasion and that American forces returned in 2014.

However, Trump's description places considerable emphasis on his own administration's role in defeating ISIS, even though the campaign involved multiple U.S. administrations and an international coalition over many years.

The military withdrawal also carries a significant human cost in historical perspective.

More than 4,500 American service members died during the Iraq conflict and subsequent military operations, while the war caused enormous civilian casualties and long-term political and social disruption.

 

 

 

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For Trump, however, September 30 marked the completion of what he characterized as a mission that had lasted far too long.

“We are going home,” he said, arguing that the United States had achieved its principal military objective because ISIS no longer controlled a territorial caliphate.

The next chapter will depend largely on Iraq's ability to maintain security without the same level of American military support.

The principal questions now concern ISIS remnants, Iran-backed militias, Iraqi state authority and the country's ability to balance relationships with Washington and Tehran.