American troops have completely left the territory of Iraq. This was reported on Sunday by a government representative of the country to the DPA agency. According to him, all combat units of the U.S. have left Iraq, as well as logistical support forces. Washington has not yet officially confirmed the completion of the withdrawal. The decision to end the American military presence was made as part of an agreement between Iraq and the U.S., concluded in 2024. According to the Pentagon, there were about 2,500 American servicemen in the country in recent years. Before the operation was completed, U.S. military personnel were stationed in Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan, at a base near Baghdad airport, and in the so-called Green Zone — the government district of the Iraqi capital. For Iraq, this marks the end of another phase of years of foreign military presence. The country's authorities intend to mark the completion of the withdrawal as an important state event: on Wednesday, when the deadline for the agreement officially expires, a four-day holiday weekend will begin, declared in honor of Independence Day. American military forces returned to Iraq in 2014 at the request of the local government to participate in the international coalition against the terrorist group ISIS. By 2017, Iraq announced the defeat of militants on its territory, and in 2019 the organization lost its last controlled territories in Syria. However, despite losing control over vast areas, individual cells of ISIS continue to operate and periodically carry out attacks. This is why the issue of security after the departure of American troops remains one of the key concerns for the Iraqi authorities. An additional factor of instability has been the tension in the region following the outbreak of war between the U.S., Israel, and Iran in February. Against this backdrop, the security situation in Iraq has once again become complicated. At the same time, the country's authorities continue to reform the security forces. According to previously reached agreements, armed groups linked to Iran are to be disarmed and integrated into state structures. This process is planned to be completed by June of next year. The U.S. military presence in Iraq has been ongoing intermittently for more than two decades. After the invasion of the country in 2003, American troops were completely withdrawn in 2011, but three years later returned to participate in the fight against ISIS. Now this mission is officially complete.
