Last US Troops Leave Iraq as Air-Defense Systems Are Pulled and Militias Warn of Ongoing Fight
The United States has completed the withdrawal of its remaining troops and air‑defense systems from Iraq, prompting Baghdad to declare Sovereignty Days while Iraqi militias insist they aren’t bound by government deals. With Patriot and C‑RAM systems gone from Kurdistan, a long US military chapter closes but security risks shift rather than disappear.
The last US troops have left Iraq, ending the mission that returned in 2015 to combat the Islamic State group and closing a 23‑year American military presence on Iraqi soil, according to Iraqi and regional reporting.
The withdrawal included the final personnel departing from Erbil and the movement of remaining troops from Harir Airbase to Jordan. Along with soldiers, US forces removed Patriot missile batteries and C‑RAM systems from Iraqi Kurdistan, creating what was described as a major air‑defence gap in a region that has repeatedly faced rocket and drone attacks.
In Baghdad, the government has treated the departure as a sovereignty milestone. The Iraqi Council of Ministers declared an official public holiday for all state institutions from Wednesday, 30 September, through Saturday, 3 October, to mark what it calls the Republic of Iraq’s Sovereignty Days. Events were held in central Baghdad’s Palestine Square to celebrate the withdrawal of foreign combat forces and the start of what officials called a new stage.
Not all armed actors in Iraq accept the government’s framing. During the Sovereignty Day commemorations, Iraqi Resistance spokesman Jaafar al‑Husseini said his militias are not bound by the state’s agreements and warned that their struggle would continue. His remarks underline that even without US combat troops in Iraq, American diplomats, contractors and facilities could remain in the sights of armed groups.
For Iraqi Kurdistan, the removal of Patriot and C‑RAM systems from sites such as Harir leaves a visible gap. Those batteries had formed the core of point defence against rockets and drones targeting coalition positions in the north. Their absence shifts more responsibility to Iraqi national forces and Kurdish regional capabilities, which have fewer advanced air‑defence assets.
From Washington’s perspective, President Donald Trump has made clear he wanted the withdrawal. He has said the United States came to fight a caliphate and that, with the caliphate gone, American forces are going home. He has also declared that the last American forces are leaving Iraq and that the US is "getting the hell out of there."
The pullout doesn’t end foreign competition inside Iraq. It changes its form. US troops and air‑defence systems can be repositioned to Jordan or other nearby states, while Iran‑aligned militias inside Iraq continue to assert their own agenda.
Key developments to watch include whether ISIS remnants increase attacks in areas once patrolled alongside US forces, how often rockets or drones now target Kurdish and federal sites without Patriot and C‑RAM cover, and whether Baghdad moves to acquire new air‑defence systems or deepen security ties with other external powers.
Sources
- OSINT