VIDEO: Last U.S. Base Empties After 12 Years

Soldiers in uniform facing American flag outdoors. — Photo: Shutterstock

American troops have flown out of their last base in Iraq, closing the book on a 23-year military presence that began with the 2003 invasion.

Story Snapshot

The Pentagon says the final U.S. troops left Erbil Air Base in northern Iraq Wednesday, completing an orderly withdrawal.
The exit follows a deal struck between Baghdad and Washington in September 2024, not a sudden decision.
Officials call it the successful end of Operation Inherent Resolve, the 12-year campaign against ISIS.
Iraqi forces now take the lead on security, even as experts warn ISIS remnants and Iran-backed militias remain active.

Pentagon Declares Mission Complete After Twelve-Year Fight

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced the withdrawal was finished, calling it “an orderly departure” from Erbil Air Base. He said the moment “reflects the success of a 12-year campaign that defeated ISIS as an organized military threat in Iraq and across the region.”

That language matters. It frames the exit as a planned handoff, not a scramble, and it credits years of grinding coalition work rather than a single dramatic victory.

US troops WITHDRAW from Iraq as 23-year military presence NEARS END

Withdrawal set to be completed by SEPTEMBER 30 pic.twitter.com/W33Np2IDRj

— RT (@RT_com) September 29, 2026

The withdrawal did not happen overnight. It followed a joint statement issued by Washington and Baghdad in September 2024, laying out a phased timeline for closing coalition sites and shifting responsibility to Iraqi forces.

Troop numbers had already shrunk for months, from roughly 2,500 advisory personnel down to around 100 remaining before the final flight left. That steady drawdown supports the Pentagon’s claim that this was a scheduled conclusion, not an emergency pullout forced by crisis.

From Erbil To Home: How The Final Days Unfolded

Erbil, in Iraq’s semiautonomous Kurdish region, became the last stop for American forces after most bases elsewhere in the country closed out over the prior year.

Reporting from the scene showed convoys of vehicles rolling out as the coalition formally ended its mission. Iraqi officials welcomed the moment publicly, with some calling it a milestone worth celebrating rather than a loss to mourn.

Parnell said Iraqi Security Forces are now expected “to lead the continuing effort to secure Iraq and keep ISIS remnants suppressed”. That statement draws a clear line. The United States is stepping back from direct combat duty, but it is not declaring ISIS erased from existence.

The distinction between ending a military mission and eliminating a terror threat is one worth holding onto as coverage unfolds in coming weeks.

What The Exit Means For Iran And Regional Stability

Analysts and regional reporting note that Iran-backed militias and Islamic State remnants could try to fill any gap left behind. Iraqi security experts, however, argue their own forces have already shown they can contain ISIS without direct American backup on the ground.

That confidence echoes what happened after the 2011 withdrawal, when Iraqi forces initially held the line before political and security breakdowns later opened the door for ISIS to surge in 2014.

History offers a caution here. The last time American troops left Iraq entirely, in 2011, the peace did not hold for long. Analysts have pointed out that the earlier pullback reduced U.S. leverage over Iraqi politics right as sectarian tensions were building toward the chaos ISIS later exploited.

Nobody can say this outcome will repeat, but the parallel explains why regional watchers are paying close attention rather than simply celebrating.

For now, the facts on the ground are straightforward. American forces are gone from Iraq after more than two decades, the mission that defeated ISIS as a territorial army is formally closed, and Iraqi forces hold the security portfolio going forward.

Whether that arrangement proves durable will depend on choices made in Baghdad, Tehran, and Washington in the months ahead, not on the withdrawal itself. The troops have gone home. What Iraq builds next is now squarely its own test to pass.