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.
In a statement, the Pentagon said the departure "marks the successful conclusion of the military mission that defeated Isis in Iraq." It said the US will keep providing training and intelligence support so the group can never 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. Troops left in 2011, then 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.
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.