The Pentagon said the September pullout fulfils a 2024 agreement with Baghdad. American troop levels, once above 170,000 during the Iraq war, have steadily declined to a small advisory force ahead of the final withdrawal.
US President Donald Trump meets Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi at the White House. The two leaders announced that all remaining American troops will leave Iraq by September 30 under a 2024 agreement. (Photo: Reuters via ANI)
The United States will withdraw all its remaining troops from Iraq by the end of September, bringing to a close a military mission that began with the 2003 invasion of the country and later evolved into operations against the Islamic State (IS) group.
The withdrawal, announced jointly by US President Donald Trump and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi during a White House meeting on Tuesday, will formally end the American military presence in Iraq under a 2024 agreement between Washington and Baghdad.
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Addressing reporters, Trump said the United States no longer believes it needs to maintain troops in Iraq.
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“We don’t think we need the military there anymore,” he said.
Trump linked the changing relationship to expanding commercial ties between Iraq and American petroleum companies.
“The relationship is a whole big relationship where we don’t need the military. We’re there to help them. We’re there to protect them if need be. But we don’t think that’s going to be necessary,” he added.
Speaking through an interpreter, Al-Zaidi said all American troops would leave Iraq by September 30, while US companies would continue operating in the country.
“US forces will be out of Iraq by September 30, while US companies will be inside Iraq,” he said.
The Pentagon later said the troop withdrawal fulfils the 2024 agreement reached with Baghdad to conclude the US-led military mission against the Islamic State.
It said a large share of the American personnel stationed in Iraq when the agreement was finalised had already departed. Only a small advisory contingent remains ahead of the planned September exit.
The US invaded Iraq in March 2003, citing claims that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction. Those claims were never substantiated.
American troop levels reached more than 170,000 during the height of the conflict in 2007.
Most combat forces left Iraq in 2011 under an agreement negotiated during the Obama administration. A limited American presence remained to support security cooperation and protect the US diplomatic mission.
US troops returned to Iraq in 2014 at Baghdad’s invitation after the Islamic State seized large parts of Iraq and neighbouring Syria.
Their role focused on training Iraqi security forces and providing logistical support in operations against the militant group.
Although the Islamic State had lost control of its self-declared territory by 2021, the United States kept about 2,500 troops in Iraq to train Iraqi forces and carry out joint counterterrorism operations. Under a 2024 agreement, Washington began winding down that presence.
The US troop strength has since been steadily reduced. The final withdrawal, scheduled for September 30, will officially bring the American military mission in Iraq to a close.
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