{
  "id": 10836269,
  "title": "US ends Iraq mission as ISIS threat fades and Iran influence grows",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/us-ends-iraq-mission-as-isis-threat-fades-and-iran-influence-grows",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-30T02:31:55.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National Business",
    "slug": "the-national-business",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/us/2026/09/30/isis-mission-ends-iraq-us/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The United States will officially conclude its anti-ISIS operations in Iraq on Wednesday, marking the end of a 12-year mission to combat the extremist group. Operation Inherent Resolve was deemed successful, as ISIS has been significantly weakened, with its self-declared caliphate in Syria and Iraq now a thing of the past. However, the withdrawal of US forces, which began in 2014, does not guarantee a simpler security situation for Iraq, a country that has been involved in the conflict since the 1991 Gulf War and the 2003 US-led invasion.\n\nWhile the US presence has been a check on Iranian influence, its withdrawal leaves a void that Iran is likely to fill. Iran has long been involved with Iraqi political groups, security forces, and the Popular Mobilisation Forces, and its interest in Iraq is expected to intensify now that the US is no longer present. Michael Knights, a senior researcher at the Washington Institute, warns that the US losing interest in Iraq could have negative consequences. Jason Campbell, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, sees a potential silver lining in the withdrawal: it deprives Iran-backed groups of a reason to maintain their weapons.\n\nIn the short term, there may be some benefits for Iran and its proxies, as well as a PR win for them. However, this does not mean that American influence in Iraq will disappear entirely. The Kurds, for example, will face increased vulnerability without US air defences that once protected them. Iraq's close ties with both the US and Iran, which have sometimes used Iraqi territory as a battleground, remain intact.\n\nPrime Minister Ali Al Zaidi initially set a deadline for disarming Iran-backed militias by September 30, 2026, but that deadline has been pushed to the end of June 2027. While the US views Al Zaidi as inexperienced, it will maintain a hands-off approach regarding the disarming process, provided the militias do not pose a direct threat to US interests. The Trump administration's pragmatic approach suggests that as long as Iran-backed militias do not attack US interests, they may be tolerated.\n\nISIS has reportedly regrouped despite the withdrawal of international forces, with sleeper cells active in Iraq. Kurdish commander Sirwan Barzani expressed concern over this development, stating that the morale of the fighters has been boosted by the announcement of the US withdrawal.",
  "summary": "The US military on Wednesday will officially end its anti-ISIS operations in Iraq, concluding a 12-year mission to defeat the Islamist extremists. Operation Inherent Resolve was, by many measures, a success. ISIS is now reduced to a shadow of its former self, its self-proclaimed \"caliphate\" in Syria and Iraq long gone. But the completion of the latest chapter of America's military involvement in…",
  "key_points": [
    "US concludes 12-year anti-ISIS mission in Iraq on Wednesday",
    "Withdrawal of US forces leaves security void for Iran to fill",
    "Iran-backed militias' disarming deadline pushed to end June 2027"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The US withdrawal from Iraq creates an opening for Iran to expand its influence, but may also bring negative consequences, including increased vulnerability for the Kurds and potential ISIS resurgence.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National UAE",
        "title": "US ends Iraq mission as ISIS threat fades and Iran influence grows",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/us-ends-iraq-mission-as-isis-threat-fades-and-iran-influence-grows-10837874",
        "published": "2026-09-30T02:31:55.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}