US-Militär in Nahost: Irak: US-Truppen sind vollständig abgezogen

The U.S. military has officially withdrawn from Iraq, according to reports from Baghdad, as stated to the Deutsche Presse-Agentur by an Iraqi government representative. The Pentagon initially did not provide official confirmation of the withdrawal. The decision to withdraw was agreed upon between Iraq and the U.S. in 2024. Previous to this, around 2,500 U.S. soldiers were stationed in Iraq, with the last remaining in Erbil, the capital's Kurdish region, near an airport, and in the capital's Green Zone.

ISIS lost its territorial control in Iraq since 2014, after the U.S. and allied forces declared military victory over the group in 2017 and 2019. However, ISIS cells still operate sporadically, carrying out isolated attacks. The security situation in Iraq has worsened with the ongoing Iran war, as both Washington and Tehran have engaged in conflicts in the country, resulting in hundreds of attacks on U.S. facilities and soldiers, as well as targets of Kurdish forces.

On Wednesday, when the deadline for the U.S. withdrawal officially ends, four official holidays will be celebrated in Iraq, with public institutions remaining closed. It was expected that the powerful Iran-aligned militias in Iraq would be disarmed and integrated into the state security apparatus during the U.S. troop withdrawal, but this step has been postponed and is now scheduled to take place in June of the upcoming year.

The U.S. mission in Iraq, with up to 500 forces, was originally set to end by January, but U.S. Secretary of State Johann Wadephul expects the Bundeswehr (German Army) to remain present in Erbil even after the multinational mission concludes.