The Pentagon announced it has formally completed the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, closing out a mission that began in 2014 to fight the Islamic State group.
The big picture: In a statement, the Pentagon said the departure "marks the successful conclusion of the military mission that defeated Isis in Iraq." The US will keep providing training and intelligence support so the group cannot reconstitute from Iraqi territory.
- President Trump, speaking at a White House event on Wednesday, called it "a great day for America" and described the original Iraq war as a "quagmire." He said US forces took all of their equipment with them, drawing a contrast with the 2021 exit from Afghanistan.
- The US invaded Iraq in 2003 to topple Saddam Hussein, left in 2011, and returned in 2014 after ISIS seized Mosul and large parts of the country. A coalition of more than 80 countries fought the group until it lost its Iraqi territory in 2017.
Yes, but: Iran and its allies welcomed the departure as a victory. Iraqi security advisers quoted by Reuters warned that a security vacuum could give ISIS remnants and Iran-aligned militias room to recover, and said the key question is whether Baghdad has a plan for the next phase.
Why it matters: This closes the longest continuous US military chapter of the century and shifts responsibility for ISIS remnants and Iran-aligned militias onto Iraq's government. Watch oil and regional headlines over the next few weeks for the first test of that handoff.
