Iraq's Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi celebrated the formal conclusion of the US-led coalition mission in Iraq on Wednesday, marking what he described as a new era of national sovereignty. The coalition, which was deployed in 2014 to combat the Islamic State group, officially ended its operations following agreements between the United States and Iraq in 2024. While U.S. forces are no longer present in most of Iraq, they will continue providing limited training and intelligence support to Iraqi partners. The withdrawal has raised tensions over disarmament among various armed factions within Iraq, with Prime Minister Zaidi emphasizing his commitment to reinforcing state control over weapons and disarming non-state militias by unspecified deadlines.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-30,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
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.
A US-led coalition deployed in Iraq more than a decade ago to fight militants concluded its mission on Wednesday, a move celebrated by the country’s leaders.
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coalition → lead → leaders
Coalition troops were deployed to Iraq and Syria in 2014 to fight the Islamic State group, which had seized large swathes of territory, committing massacres and forcing thousands of women and children into slavery.
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which → deploy → slavery
The group was defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019, but coalition forces stayed on to battle the group’s remnants.
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forces → defeat → remnants
The United States and Iraq agreed in 2024 to wind down the coalition’s mission, and its troops withdrew gradually from bases across the country, restricting their presence to the autonomous northern Kurdistan region.
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troops → agree → region
On Wednesday, the US announced the mission’s formal conclusion.
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US → announce → conclusion
“Today, the United States and our Coalition partners formally concluded Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq, consistent with the September 2024 US-Iraq joint statement and US national interests,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
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Pentagon → conclude → statement
The US Department of Defence, however, added that it would “continue to provide targeted training and intelligence support to our Iraqi partners”.
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it → add → partners
The US-led coalition did not defeat IS alone.
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coalition → lead → IS
Kurdish Peshmerga fighters played an important role in crushing IS, as did powerful Iraqi factions.
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factions → play → IS
The Iraqi government, which celebrated the withdrawal, believes it will deprive armed factions of the excuse they have used to retain their arsenal.
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they → celebrate → arsenal
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi hailed the end of the mission as the start of a new chapter.
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Zaidi → hail → chapter
“A new phase has begun, defined by Iraq’s sovereignty, the strength of its institutions, the readiness of its forces, unity of decision-making, and balanced partnerships with its friends,” Zaidi said at a ceremony on Wednesday.
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Zaidi → begin → Wednesday
He had also declared that October 1 would be celebrated as Sovereignty Day.
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October → declare → Day
It is “a national occasion that affirms the completion of Iraq’s path toward sovereignty and consolidates the presence of the state and its institutions”, the heads of Iraq’s executive, legislative and judicial branches said on Monday.
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heads → affirm → Monday
They added that “the presence of weapons outside state authority must be addressed… in line with timelines set by the government, in a manner that strengthens state sovereignty”.
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that → add → sovereignty
Zaidi, who came to power this year with the US’s blessing, has vowed to reinforce the state’s monopoly on arms and ensure that armed factions hand over their weapons to the state.
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factions → come → state
His government initially set September 30 as the deadline for factions to disarm, but later withdrew the time limit as talks continued to “regulate” weapons — an issue that has fuelled division and is expected to take much longer to resolve.
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that → set → division
With several powerful groups refusing to disarm, senior politicians have intervened and are now hoping to work out a compromise deal.
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politicians → refuse → deal
Factions have put forward conditions that include not only the withdrawal of foreign troops, but also an end to American political and economic interference.
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that → put → interference
The powerful Kataeb Hezbollah group said the withdrawal of “the occupation forces… is a start towards achieving full sovereignty”.
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withdrawal → say → sovereignty
But the group also threatened Zaidi’s government.
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group → threaten → government
“A government that doesn’t work for the good of its people will be brought down by all possible means,” it said.
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it → work → means
Many armed groups have long demanded the withdrawal of US troops and have begun targeting them with drones and missiles, triggering US retaliatory strikes that killed several faction commanders over the years.
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that → demand → years
The Aporia
