Pentagon says US troop withdrawal from Iraq is complete

The Pentagon has confirmed that all US troops deployed in Iraq as part of an anti-ISIS mission have left the country, ending a years-long withdrawal process. Spokesman Sean Parnell stated that remaining forces and coalition personnel conducted an orderly departure from Erbil Airbase in the Kurdistan region. This withdrawal marks an important step in Iraq reclaiming its sovereignty after a 12-year campaign that defeated ISIS, with the final plan agreed upon in 2024 by President Biden and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. The initial troop deployment peaked in 2007 and was reduced in 2011, then redeployed in 2015 due to ISIS's rise.