US forces are set to pull out from their last bases in Iraq by Wednesday, ending a presence that began with the 2003 invasion. About 2,000 troops remain, most of them at Harir Air Base in Erbil in the Kurdish north, and they will be redeployed to Jordan and other countries in the region, under plans reported this week. The drawdown follows a 2024 agreement struck under the Biden administration and carried out by the Trump administration; Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has affirmed September 30 as the fixed final date.

American equipment, including air-defence assets, is also being removed. The pullout marks the end of the latest chapter of US involvement in Iraq. The United States first entered Iraq in 2003 to overthrow Saddam Hussein, left in 2011 and returned in 2014 at the head of an international coalition against ISIS.

At its 2007 peak, the deployment exceeded 170,000 troops. In recent months the remaining bases have faced repeated attacks. Iran and its allies are celebrating the withdrawal as a victory, while Iraqi militias have signalled they intend to keep their weapons. The move leaves Iraq to shoulder its own security after two decades of conflict.