U.S. Troops Exit Iraq, Leaving Power Vacuum Behind

The US military completed its withdrawal from Iraq on Wednesday, closing out a 12-year counter-ISIS mission. The last troops left Erbil Air Base in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region.

• Roughly 1,500 American and coalition troops had been stationed at Erbil Air Base.
• More than 1,000 drone and missile attacks hit the Kurdish region during the US-Iran conflict.
• Militia disarmament, originally tied to the Sept. 30 deadline, is now pushed to June 2027.
• The counter-ISIS task force remains active, now headquartered in Jordan.

Why it matters: The withdrawal removes US air defense capabilities from the Kurdish region at a moment when Iran-backed groups remain armed and active inside Iraq.

• Kurdish Peshmerga Ministry called the departure without a replacement defense system "a matter of concern."
• Jassim al-Bahadli, an adviser to Iraqi security forces, told Reuters that security vacuums can be extremely dangerous.

How 53 sources split on this story

Where they split: Whether the withdrawal marks a successful handoff to capable Iraqi forces or creates dangerous security gaps is the central dispute.

What’s next: US forces will continue training and intelligence support to Iraq under a bilateral security relationship.

• Baghdad must now press powerful militias to disarm by its revised June 2027 deadline.
• Whether Iraqi security forces can prevent an ISIS resurgence without US troops and air defenses in place.
• Whether Iran-backed militias will comply with Baghdad's disarmament push or further challenge government authority.