United States forces have departed their remaining bases in Iraq as the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIL (ISIS) expires, opening a new chapter in Iraqi security.
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Coalition → depart → security
Baghdad is marking the occasion with four “Sovereignty Days”, a national holiday from September 30 to October 3 that underscores the deep symbolism of the US exit.
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that → mark → exit
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list of 3 items- list 1 of 3US troops fully withdraw from Baghdad base after two decades
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- list 3 of 3Will
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troops → withdraw → act
However, the withdrawal raises questions about what comes next.
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what → raise → questions
What really ended on September 30?
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What → end → September
Wednesday’s deadline brought an end to a two-year phased withdrawal process of US troops from Iraq.
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deadline → bring → Iraq
A joint Iraq-US statement issued in September 2024 announced that the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIL would wind down in two stages.
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Coalition → issue → stages
The first would be the end of combat operations inside Iraq by the end of September 2025 at the latest.
The second stage would continue until September 2026, to support operations against ISIL in Syria, according to a mechanism determined by the US-Iraq Higher Military Commission.
In January, Iraq announced that coalition advisers had completed their withdrawal from federal areas, but logistical support for operations in Syria would continue via a base in Erbil, the main city in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region.
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support → continue → region
The US withdrawal on Wednesday ends Washington’s 12-year operation supporting Iraqi forces in the fight against and defeat of ISIL, which began in 2014.
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which → end → 2014
US forces have been concentrated in northern Iraq, comprising some 2,500 military personnel in recent years, as well as in Syria.
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forces → concentrate → Syria
These US forces were withdrawn from Iraq under President Barack Obama in 2011.
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forces → withdraw → 2011
A later contingent was invited back to Iraq in 2014 following the rise of ISIL, mostly providing air support and training to Iraqi forces.
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contingent → invite → forces
What are US forces taking with them?
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forces → take → them
It’s not just US soldiers leaving Iraq.
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soldiers → ’ → Iraq
Military equipment, including crucial air defence systems, is also being withdrawn.
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equipment → include → systems
US air defences in Erbil have played a role in intercepting Iranian ballistic missiles and drones during the current war.
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defences → play → war
Kurdish military commander Sirwan Barzani told the Reuters news agency that Iraq could also lose three other capabilities: US intelligence, logistical support and drones.
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Iraq → tell → capabilities
The concern is most acute in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, which is administered by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
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which → administer → Government
The KRG’s Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs – which oversees Kurdish armed forces and was instrumental in the fight against ISIL – said the region had come under more than 1,000 drone and ballistic missile attacks since the US-Israeli war on Iran began on February 28.
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war → oversee → February
“Leaving the Kurdistan region without providing any defence system is a cause for concern,” KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said on Sunday.
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Barzani → leave → Sunday
Barzani’s office was targeted in a drone attack last month, which officials claim was launched from Iranian territory.
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officials → target → territory
What can Iraq do on its own?
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Iraq → do → own
Baghdad says that many security tasks had already been passed to Iraqi forces ahead of the deadline.
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tasks → say → deadline
On Monday, Iraqi Air Force commander Lieutenant General Khalid al-Tamimi told state news that no coalition force had carried out any duties inside Iraq since the start of 2026.
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force → tell → 2026
Iraqi drones have replaced coalition aircraft for reconnaissance, he said, and the air force conducts daily aerial surveys of the country.
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force → replace → country
He touted Iraq’s independent operation and maintenance of its fleet of F-16 fighters, saying they had conducted missions for 10 days without outside help.
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they → tout → help
Air defence support, however, remains the most sensitive issue.
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support → remain → ?
In mid-September, Iraqi military spokesperson Sabah al-Numan announced the nation was close to procuring air defence systems from South Korea, Turkiye and the United States.
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nation → announce → Korea
They would be deployed under carefully studied military plans “to ensure full protection of Iraqi airspace, including the Kurdistan region”, he told the AP.
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he → deploy → AP
Hassan Barari, professor of international relations at the University of Jordan, told Al Jazeera that it is “unlikely” that the Iraqi state is currently capable of protecting its airspace from missiles and drones,
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state → tell → missiles
The prospect of future Iranian strikes on Erbil was one example, he added.
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he → add → Erbil
Does the withdrawal give ISIL an opening?
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withdrawal → give → opening
ISIL is a shadow of the force it was a decade ago, when it held nearly a third of Iraq.
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it → hold → Iraq
After sustained pressure from Iraqi forces, the group is currently “at its weakest” with just a few hundred fighters, the latest report by the UN secretary-general said.
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report → say → general
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell hailed “the success of a 12-year campaign” against the armed group and “a transition from a wartime coalition mission to an Iraqi-led security effort”.
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Parnell → hail → effort
Iraqi forces would lead efforts to keep Iraq secure and ISIL “suppressed”, he added.
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he → lead → Iraq
ISIL cells have not disappeared from Iraq entirely.
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cells → disappear → Iraq
Iraqi security and army officials told Reuters on Wednesday that the group had planned attacks to coincide with the withdrawal of the US, showing it can still exploit security gaps.
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it → tell → gaps
ISIL “is seeking to send a message that the group is still powerful and capable of launching bloody attacks”, Colonel Khalid al-Bayati, a senior Iraqi security official, told the agency.
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Bayati → seek → agency
Some of Iraq’s non-state armed groups, in particular militias linked to Iran, see the US exit as a victory.
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Some → link → victory
…and 13 more, not listed.
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