U.S. Completes Iraq Withdrawal, Moving 1,500 Troops to Jordan as Iran Gains Influence
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 30
U.S. Completes Iraq Withdrawal, Moving 1,500 Troops to Jordan as Iran Gains Influence
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 30
Summary
Erbil Air Base saw the last U.S. forces and equipment leave Iraq on Wednesday, completing a 2024 Biden administration deal to reduce the American military presence there to zero.
About 1,500 U.S. and coalition personnel assigned to the anti-Islamic State mission were relocated to Jordan, where Central Command said operations will continue with a focus on militants in Syria and possible strikes into Iraq if threats emerge.
The Pentagon cast the move as a shift to an Iraqi-led security effort, saying Baghdad now bears primary responsibility for ISIS remnants and Iran-aligned militias that still challenge Iraqi sovereignty.
Iran-backed armed groups remain a major test for that handover: disarmament has been pushed to June 2027, and Iraqi officials say splinter cells backed by Tehran are evading detection and retaining weapons.
The exit closes two decades of U.S. war in Iraq that Brown University estimates killed up to 210,000 Iraqi civilians and 4,599 U.S. troops, cost more than $2.8 trillion, and ultimately left Iran more influential in Baghdad.