Iraqis jubilant after last US soldiers depart
A member of the Iraqi security forces flashes the victory sign during a military parade marking the withdrawal of the US-led coalition from Iraq, in Baghdad. PHOTO: AFP
Iraqis celebrated the departure of US forces on Wednesday after more than two decades of war, but the end of the US-led coalition mission also revived fears that Iran-backed militias could gain influence or Islamic State could exploit a potential security vacuum.
The withdrawal of the final US troops, mainly from an airbase in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of Erbil, formally ended the US-led coalition's military mission in Iraq, bringing an end to America's longest major military engagement of the 21st century.
Iraqi troops paraded through the streets of Baghdad and the holy city of Najaf to mark the departure. In Baghdad, residents expressed relief at the end of the foreign military presence, while warning that armed groups operating outside government control should now hand over their weapons.
"The withdrawal fills our hearts with joy," said Baghdad resident Ahmed Salah, 70. But he urged powerful militias to surrender their weapons and allow the government to take responsibility for protecting the country.
The United States invaded Iraq in 2003 to topple Saddam Hussein, unleashing years of violence and instability. American forces withdrew in 2011 but returned less than three years later after Islamic State fighters seized large parts of the country and imposed brutal rule.
More than 4,500 US troops were killed in Iraq, while the Iraq Body Count project estimates that more than 200,000 Iraqi civilians died during the conflict. The pullout was agreed in 2024 under President Joe Biden and completed by President Donald Trump's administration.
Trump hailed the withdrawal as a "victory" for both the United States and Iraq, saying they had defeated Islamic State and that it was time for American forces to return home. "I had a choice to stay or to leave, and felt, without question, that it was time for America to go home!" Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi said the end of the international coalition mission did not mean the end of Iraq's fight against terrorism. Instead, he described the withdrawal as the beginning of a phase in which Iraq would assume full responsibility for its security and stability.
Hundreds of supporters of Iran-backed Iraqi militias gathered in Baghdad to celebrate the withdrawal, chanting "Death to America" and carrying portraits of Iran's slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, his son Mojtaba and General Qassem Soleimani.