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US forces set to complete withdrawal from Iraq after 2 decades

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Reuters. (2026, September 29). US forces set to complete withdrawal from Iraq after 2 decades. South China Morning Post. https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3369168/us-forces-set-complete-withdrawal-iraq-after-2-decades?utm_source=rss_feed

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

South China Morning Post · collected 2026-09-29 · by Reuters

Quick Summary

US forces are set to complete their withdrawal from Iraq by Wednesday, marking two decades since they entered the country. The departure, agreed upon under President Joe Biden in 2024 and executed during former President Donald Trump’s administration, is viewed as a strategic gain for Iran and its allies within Iraq. Iraqi security experts warn this could enable increased influence of Iranian-backed militias and potentially aid groups like ISIS, which are seen as enemies by the United States.
Written by AI on 2026-09-29, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

US forces are set to pull out from their last bases in Iraq by September 30, 2026, a departure celebrated as a victory by Iran and its allies who now have deep influence in the country where 4,500 Americans died during more than two decades of war. The withdrawal was agreed upon in 2024 under President Joe Biden and implemented by Donald Trump's administration despite ongoing conflict with Iran.

Some Iraqi security officials fear the pullout could revive Islamic State fighters, who maintain sleeper cells despite their self-proclaimed caliphate's defeat nearly a decade ago. Jasim al-Bahadli, an Iraqi security analyst specializing in armed Shi'ite groups aligned with Iran, predicts pro-Iranian militia groups will leverage this momentum to gain more influence over Iraq’s security and political decision-making.

Abu Mojtaba al-Yasiri, a commander in the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, described the US withdrawal as "a historic victory for Iraqi Islamic resistance groups and honourable Iraqis," marking what he sees as a crushing defeat for American ambitions in the region.

Written for “US Withdrawal From Iraq” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 33 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 US Withdrawal From Iraq
Politics · 34 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans strongly left and hedges 25% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
US forces exit Iraq after two decades, leaving opening for Iran Same event
The Straits Times
⚖️ Leans left further right than this Hedges 1 of 31 claims Outlet record 66/100
Fears of ISIS resurgence and huge boost for Iran as US forces pull out from last Iraq bases Same event
Daily Mail
⚖️ Leans left further right than this Hedges 1 of 31 claims Outlet record 68/100
U.S. forces exit Iraq after two decades, leaving opening for Iran Same event
The Hindu
⚖️ Leans left further right than this Hedges 1 of 32 claims Outlet record 60/100
U.S. forces set to leave Iraq after first arriving in 2003 Same event
CBC News
⚖️ Leans left further right than this Hedges 1 of 27 claims Outlet record 60/100
US forces are finally withdrawing from Iraq. But what does that mean for its future? Same event
The Independent
Hedges 2 of 18 claims Outlet record 59/100
U.S. forces exit Iraq amid Iran war. And, SCOTUS revives Trump deportation policy Same event
NPR
Hedges 3 of 44 claims Outlet record 60/100
U.S. military says the last of its troops in Iraq have withdrawn Same event
Global News
Hedges 3 of 29 claims Outlet record 63/100
Trump celebrates US military exit from Iraq as the end of a ‘very expensive excursion into Hell’ Same event
The Independent
Hedges 3 of 31 claims Outlet record 59/100
U.S. troops leave Iraq, but future of Iran-backed militias remains uncertain Same event
Los Angeles Times
⚖️ Leans left further right than this Hedges 2 of 57 claims Outlet record 95/100
US forces have finally quit Iraq. What happens now? Same event
The Sydney Morning Herald
⚖️ Leans left further right than this Hedges 3 of 37 claims Outlet record 61/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
4
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
25%
1 of 4 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans strongly left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
64/100
South China Morning Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
34
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-29 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Running correction rate · 6 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

Reuters
783 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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Wire or desk byline, not an individual reporter.
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Topics

Iran Iraq Iraqi Tehran Washington

Subjects

Iran GPE · 5× Iraq GPE · 4× Tehran GPE · 3× Iraqi NORP · 2× Americans NORP · 1× Donald Trump’s PERSON · 1× Islamic State ORG · 1× Jasim al-Bahadli PERSON · 1× Joe Biden PERSON · 1× Washington GPE · 1×

Narrative

US forces set to complete withdrawal from Iraq after 2 decades Departure from Iraq bases seen as a boost to Iran and its allies, even as Washington wages war against Tehran US forces are set to pull out from their last bases in Iraq by Wednesday, a departure celebrated as a victory by Iran and its allies who now have deep influence in the country where 4,500 Americans died during more than two decades of war.
framing: mixed · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-29
🔮 US forces set to complete withdrawal from Iraq after 2 decades Departure from Iraq bases seen as a boost to Iran and its allies, even as Washington wages war against Tehran US forces are set to pull out from their last bases in Iraq by Wednesday, a departure celebrated as a victory by Iran and its allies who now have deep influence in the country where 4,500 Americans died during more than two decades of war.
2026-09-29 · South China Morning Post
US forces set to complete withdrawal from Iraq after 2 decades · mixed framing

Claims (4 extracted, 1 hedged)

US forces set to complete withdrawal from Iraq after 2 decades Departure from Iraq bases seen as a boost to Iran and its allies, even as Washington wages war against Tehran US forces are set to pull out from their last bases in Iraq by Wednesday, a departure celebrated as a victory by Iran and its allies who now have deep influence in the country where 4,500 Americans died during more than two decades of war. asserted
Americans → complete → war
Iraqi security experts say the withdrawal – agreed in 2024 under President Joe Biden and carried out by Donald Trump’s administration even as it wages war against Iran – could give Tehran and its powerful allies free rein, while also allowing other US enemies to stage a comeback, including Islamic State. uncertain
enemies → say → State
“Iran stands to benefit strategically from the coalition’s departure because it removes a military presence that for years acted as a counterweight to Tehran’s influence in Iraq,” said Jasim al-Bahadli, an Iraqi security analyst specialising in studying armed Shiite groups aligned with Iran. asserted
Bahadli → stand → Iran
He predicted that the pro-Iranian militia groups would not only portray the departure as a victory for their movement, but also “seek to translate that momentum into greater influence over security and political decision-making”. asserted
groups → predict → security
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