The US-led force has spent 12 years in Iraq dismantling Islamic State networks that once threatened to seize control of the region and plunge it into instability.
The US-led coalition deployed to Iraq more than a decade ago to combat jihadist groups has completed its mission. The move was welcomed by Iraqi leaders and US President Donald Trump, although concerns remain that the withdrawal could strengthen Iran-backed armed factions operating in the country.
Coalition forces were first deployed to Iraq and Syria in 2014 to fight the Islamic State group, also known as IS, ISIS or ISIL. At its peak, the organisation controlled vast swathes of territory, carried out mass killings and enslaved thousands of women and children.
Islamic State was defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria two years later. Coalition forces nevertheless remained in both countries to pursue the group’s remaining fighters and prevent it from rebuilding its insurgency.
In 2024, the United States and Iraq agreed on a phased withdrawal of coalition forces. American troops gradually pulled out of bases across the country, eventually maintaining a presence only in the autonomous Kurdistan region of northern Iraq.
“Today is a victory for the United States, a victory for Iraq and a decisive victory against ISIS,” Trump said in a message posted on social media.
Iran-backed factions have long called for the withdrawal of US troops. They have repeatedly launched drone and missile attacks against American and coalition forces, prompting retaliatory US strikes that have killed several commanders of these groups over the years.
Since the outbreak of the war in the Middle East, which began with US-Israeli strikes against Iran, Tehran and allied factions have stepped up their attacks in Iraq. Their targets have included US-led coalition forces stationed in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region.
