US forces set to complete withdrawal from Iraq after 2 decades

Read the original at South China Morning Post ↗
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 locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-29, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

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 2026-10-05, grounded in this article and the 33 other(s) covering the same event.

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
4
claim-shaped sentences
Uncertain
25%
1 of 4 hedged
Leaning
Leans strongly left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Correction & hedging signals
66.6
corrections and hedging in what we collected; not a measure of accuracy
Outlets on this story
34
Politics
Narrative spread
1
articles carrying this framing
Analyzed 2026-09-29 · how these are computed

Story

📰 US Withdrawal From Iraq
Politics · 34 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

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 · 100%
The Straits Times · 0.96 cosine similarity
⚖️ Leans left further right than this 🔴 3% hedged 1 of 31 📰 publisher trust 59
“Both articles describe US forces exiting Iraq on the same day, with identical details about timing, impact on Iran's influence, and context.”
Fears of ISIS resurgence and huge boost for Iran as US forces pull out from last Iraq bases same event · 100%
Daily Mail · 0.95 cosine similarity
⚖️ Leans left further right than this 🔴 3% hedged 1 of 31 📰 publisher trust 65
“Both articles describe the exact same withdrawal of US forces from Iraq on the same date, with similar contexts and implications.”
U.S. forces exit Iraq after two decades, leaving opening for Iran same event · 100%
The Hindu · 0.93 cosine similarity
⚖️ Leans left further right than this 🔴 3% hedged 1 of 32 📰 publisher trust 60
“Both articles describe the exact same occurrence of US forces completing their withdrawal from Iraq by September 30, 2026.”
U.S. forces set to leave Iraq after first arriving in 2003 same event · 100%
CBC News
⚖️ Leans left further right than this 🔴 4% hedged 1 of 27 📰 publisher trust 60
“Both articles describe the identical withdrawal of US forces from Iraq by Wednesday, with consistent details including timing, impact on Iran's influence, and context involving President Biden and Trump.”
US forces are finally withdrawing from Iraq. But what does that mean for its future? same event · 100%
The Independent
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 11% hedged 2 of 18 📰 publisher trust 59
“Both articles describe the exact same occurrence of US forces withdrawing from their final bases in Iraq on Wednesday, agreed upon under President Joe Biden and executed by Donald Trump's administration.”
U.S. forces exit Iraq amid Iran war. And, SCOTUS revives Trump deportation policy same event · 100%
NPR
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 7% hedged 3 of 44 📰 publisher trust 60
“Both articles describe the identical event of US forces completing their withdrawal from Iraq, occurring on the same day and referencing the historical context of U.S. involvement in Iraq.”
U.S. military says the last of its troops in Iraq have withdrawn same event · 100%
Global News
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 10% hedged 3 of 29 📰 publisher trust 64
“Both articles describe the exact completion of US troop withdrawal from Iraq on different but consecutive days in September 2026.”
Trump celebrates US military exit from Iraq as the end of a ‘very expensive excursion into Hell’ same event · 100%
The Independent
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 10% hedged 3 of 31 📰 publisher trust 59
“Both articles describe the identical specific occurrence of US forces completing their withdrawal from Iraq on the same day, Wednesday.”
U.S. troops leave Iraq, but future of Iran-backed militias remains uncertain same event · 100%
Los Angeles Times
⚖️ Leans left further right than this 🔴 4% hedged 2 of 57 📰 publisher trust 95
“Both articles describe the exact same event, the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq on the same day, September 28, 2026.”
US forces have finally quit Iraq. What happens now? same event · 95%
The Sydney Morning Herald · 0.86 cosine similarity
⚖️ Leans left further right than this 🔴 8% hedged 3 of 37 📰 publisher trust 61
“Both articles describe the same exact withdrawal of US forces from Iraq on the same date.”

Publisher

South China Morning Post · 1625 article(s) · 4 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 4 correction(s)
2026-10-04
Flight to Okinawa diverts back to Hong Kong after suspected landing gear fault
2026-10-04
Tennessee prisons chief resigning after botched execution of Christa Pike
2026-09-29
Indonesian prison chief suspended over secret VIP compound for inmates
2026-09-28
Trump ‘arms offer’ to China jolts Washington into moves to contain the fallout

Who wrote this

Reuters
426 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 She will appear on Monday (October 5) in a Los Angeles federal court, Essayli said.
2026-10-05 · assertive framing · U.S. accuses California woman of spying for China, surveilling Taiwan leader's son
🔮 Campus administration will also support legislative efforts to strengthen laws on sexual assault and intoxication, he added.
2026-10-05 · assertive framing · Cornell rape accuser has received 'disgusting' threats from people trying to silence her, lawyer says
🔮 The figures exclude any vessels that might have crossed the strait with their Automatic Identification System transponders turned off to avoid detection.
2026-10-05 · mixed framing · West Asian crude oil exports exceed pre-war levels but tanker attacks increase
🔮 Senator Flavio Bolsonaro held a narrowing lead in the first round of Brazil’s presidential election on Sunday (October 4, 2026), after more than half the votes were counted, with pollster Datafolha projecting that the election would proceed to a second vote.
2026-10-04 · assertive framing · Brazil election headed to runoff, projection shows, as Bolsonaro lead narrows
🔮 City’s appeal will be heard privately by an independent three-member board, with the club fully denying all charges.
2026-10-04 · assertive framing · Manchester City must be relegated, says Canada’s ex-Leeds manager
🔮 A deal may be announced as soon as Monday, the newspaper said, adding that discussions between the two companies were ongoing and there was no certainty they would result in a deal.
2026-10-04 · mixed framing · France’s Schneider Electric nears $20B deal to buy US software group PTC: reports
🔮 On Sunday (October 4, 2026), Russia promised to intensify strikes on Ukraine after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Reuters that Kyiv would step up attacks on Russian oil refineries.
2026-10-04 · assertive framing · Russia says it hit Kyiv bridge, two vessels in Black Sea
🔮 “The Green Party has made antisemitism party policy and become a racist party,” the Movement for Progressive Judaism said, adding that the support of some Jews for the motion did not mean it would not be used to discriminate against others.
2026-10-04 · assertive framing · Britain’s Green Party votes to class Zionism as a form of racism
🔮 Iran’s Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad has resigned and Hamid Bovard, chief executive of the government-owned National Iranian Oil Company, will be in charge of the Ministry as acting Minister, state media said on Sunday (October 5, 2026), without providing a reason for the resignation.
2026-10-04 · assertive framing · Iran’s Oil Minister resigns, no reason given
🔮 Flight FZ1073 would have felt like a “vertical roller coaster” when it plunged 16,000 feet in about 30 seconds before being levelled out and landing safely, according to an aviation instructor who recreated the descent in a flight simulator for Reuters.
2026-10-04 · mixed framing · Australia probes flydubai co-pilot's links to the country, police say
Wire or desk byline, not an individual reporter.
Also by Reuters
U.S. accuses California woman of spying for China, surveilling Taiwan leader's son
2026-10-05 · The Hindu
Cornell rape accuser has received 'disgusting' threats from people trying to silence her, lawyer says
2026-10-05 · Daily Mail
West Asian crude oil exports exceed pre-war levels but tanker attacks increase
2026-10-05 · The Hindu
Brazil election headed to runoff, projection shows, as Bolsonaro lead narrows
2026-10-04 · The Hindu
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 426 articles by Reuters →

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 ORG · 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
💬Give feedback
🕘History 🎫Support
Terms · Privacy · beta v2.0.0
Articles to 5 Oct 2026