As the last US troops exit Iraq, Kurdish fears rise and militias celebrate

Read the original at Toronto Star ↗
Toronto Star · collected 2026-09-30 · by Qassim Abdul-zahra The Associated Press

Quick Summary

The last U.S. troops were scheduled to leave Iraq on Wednesday as part of an agreement between Baghdad and Washington. This departure was celebrated by Iran-backed militias but raised concerns among some Iraqis, especially those in the Kurdish region who fear a power vacuum. U.S. forces first entered Iraq in 2003 to oust Saddam Hussein, left in 2011, then returned three years later at Iraqi request to combat the Islamic State group.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-02, 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
3
claim-shaped sentences
Uncertain
0%
0 of 3 hedged
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Correction & hedging signals
63.3
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 2026-09-30 · 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 left and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
The US military says its withdrawal of troops from Iraq is complete same event · 100%
New York Post
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 5% hedged 1 of 21 📰 publisher trust 64
“Both articles describe the completion of US troop withdrawal from Iraq on the same date, involving the last troops leaving the last air base under an agreement between Baghdad and Washington.”
Iraq PM hails new era of 'sovereignty' after US-led coalition exit same event · 100%
Dawn
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 23 📰 publisher trust 77
“Both articles describe the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces from Iraq on the same day (2026-09-30), marking the end of their mission.”
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 specific occurrence of the last US troops leaving Iraq on the same date.”
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 withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq on the same date, confirming it as one specific event.”
US announces all forces withdrawn from Iraq after 12-year anti-ISIS mission same event · 100%
Washington Examiner
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 3% hedged 1 of 36 📰 publisher trust 72
“Both articles describe the exact withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq on the same day, September 30, 2026.”
U.S. troops leave Iraq, but future of Iran-backed militias remains uncertain same event · 100%
Los Angeles Times
⚖️ Leans left 🔴 4% hedged 2 of 57 📰 publisher trust 95
“Both articles describe the exact same occurrence: the departure of the last U.S. troops from Iraq on September 30, 2026.”
Will Turkiye end its military presence in northern Iraq? different event · 95%
Al Jazeera
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 5 📰 publisher trust 60
“The articles describe different events involving troop withdrawals from Iraq by Turkey and the U.S., not the same specific incident.”
US forces exit Iraq after two decades, leaving opening for Iran same event · 95%
The Straits Times
⚖️ Leans left 🔴 3% hedged 1 of 31 📰 publisher trust 59
“Both articles describe the exact same day (Wednesday) when US forces were scheduled to exit Iraq in September 2026, and both discuss reactions from various Iraqi factions.”
US forces set to complete withdrawal from Iraq after 2 decades same event · 95%
South China Morning Post
⚖️ Leans strongly left further left than this 🔴 25% hedged 1 of 4 📰 publisher trust 67
“Both articles describe the final withdrawal of US troops from Iraq on the same date.”
Fears of ISIS resurgence and huge boost for Iran as US forces pull out from last Iraq bases same event · 95%
Daily Mail
⚖️ Leans left 🔴 3% hedged 1 of 31 📰 publisher trust 65
“Both articles describe the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq on the same date and discuss similar concerns regarding its implications for Iran's influence and regional stability.”

Publisher

Toronto Star · 5200 article(s) · 17 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 17 correction(s)
2026-10-03
Tennessee's prisons chief is resigning after failed execution of Christa Pike
2026-09-28
Organizations call for Action to End the Deaths of Indigenous People in Custody
2026-09-27
Police memorial recognizes six officers killed in the line of duty in 2026
2026-09-27
UPDATE: WSP to host Power & Energy-focused investor event virtually only
2026-09-26
News Clarification for Sept. 27
2026-09-26
Former federal public servant seeks better pensions for injured workers
2026-09-25
News Corrections for Sept. 25
2026-09-25
She has not been charged. But the Project South allegations have branded her with a 'scarlet letter'
2026-09-24
Correction
2026-09-23
MULTIMEDIA UPDATE: Smith+Nephew launches the new EVOS™ PELVIC Plating System at the 2026 Orthopedic Trauma Association (OTA) Annual Meeting, expanding the EVOS Plating Platform for pelvic and acetabular fracture management
2026-09-22
Costa Rican man complained of lack of care for diabetes before his death in ICE custody, family says
2026-09-22
Judges' grilling of accused men leads to sex assault and dangerous driving cases being overturned
2026-09-20
Jura Energy Corporation Provides Clarification Regarding Media Reports Concerning Its Petroleum Rights in Pakistan
2026-09-19
New details emerge about Toronto's guns-for-hire and the 'crash-out mission" that sparked the Project South investigation
2026-09-17
UPDATE: Osisko Critical Minerals Corporation Announces C$100 Million Private Placement of Special Warrants
2026-09-17
Alabama set to execute man for pawn shop killings months after his nitrogen gas execution blocked
2026-09-04
Orca Corrects Q3 Quarterly Dividend Announcement

Who wrote this

Qassim Abdul-zahra The Associated Press
1 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction
Wire or desk byline, not an individual reporter.
Nothing else under this byline in the corpus.

Topics

BAGHDAD Iran Iraq U.S. Washington

Subjects

Iraq GPE · 3× BAGHDAD GPE · 2× U.S. GPE · 2× Iran GPE · 1× Iraqi NORP · 1× Iraqis NORP · 1× Kurdish NORP · 1× Saddam Hussein PERSON · 1× U.S.-led GPE · 1× Washington GPE · 1×

Narrative

The last U.S. troops were slated to leave Iraq on Wednesday under an agreement between Baghdad and Washington, a move celebrated by Iran-backed groups but which some other Iraqis found concerning, particularly in the Kurdish region.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-30
2026-09-30 · Toronto Star
As the last US troops exit Iraq, Kurdish fears rise and militias celebrate · assertive framing

Claims (3 extracted, 0 hedged)

The last U.S. troops were slated to leave Iraq on Wednesday under an agreement between Baghdad and Washington, a move celebrated by Iran-backed groups but which some other Iraqis found concerning, particularly in the Kurdish region. asserted
Iraqis → slat → region
U.S. troops invaded Iraq in 2003 to topple Saddam Hussein. asserted
troops → invade → Hussein
They departed in 2011, but three years later, Iraqi authorities invited a smaller U.S.-led mission to fight the Islamic State group, which had rampaged across Iraq, seizing large swaths of territory. asserted
which → depart → territory
💬Give feedback
🕘History 🎫Support
Terms · Privacy · beta v2.0.0
Articles to 5 Oct 2026