By The South Asia Times

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump announced that the last American forces have left Iraq, marking the formal end of the US-led Operation Inherent Resolve mission in the country after more than a decade of operations against Islamic State militants.

In a statement posted on Truth Social on Wednesday, Trump described the withdrawal as a “Great Day for America” and said the departure from Iraq marked the end of a long and costly U.S. military involvement.

The US Central Command confirmed that American forces and equipment had completed an orderly departure from Erbil Air Base on Sept. 30. It said the move marked the end of Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq and the transition to a bilateral U.S.-Iraq defense relationship. The coalition's counter-ISIS headquarters has moved to Jordan, while US forces continue counter-ISIS operations in Syria.

Trump also strongly praised Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, saying he had supported him from the beginning and describing him as an “outstanding” leader.

Trump said al-Zaidi had won an election “in a landslide” despite not initially being expected to win.

However, Iraqi political developments are more complicated. Al-Zaidi was not directly elected prime minister by voters. Following Iraq's November 2025 parliamentary election, the country's parliament selected a new president in April 2026, who then tasked al-Zaidi with forming a government. Iraq's parliament subsequently backed him as prime minister.

- From 2003 invasion to anti-ISIS campaign

Trump traced the US military involvement in Iraq to the 2003 invasion under President George W. Bush and the later return of US forces in 2014 under President Barack Obama following the rise of Islamic State.

The US initially withdrew its forces from Iraq in 2011, but returned three years later after Islamic State seized large areas of Iraq and Syria.

Operation Inherent Resolve was established in 2014 as an international campaign against Islamic State. The US-led coalition supported Iraqi security forces in recapturing territory held by the militant group and dismantling its territorial “caliphate.”

The Pentagon said the mission defeated Islamic State as an organized military threat in Iraq, although the group retains underground networks and remains capable of carrying out attacks.

- Trump contrasts Iraq withdrawal with Afghanistan

Trump contrasted the Iraq withdrawal with the US departure from Afghanistan in 2021, saying that large quantities of military equipment had been left behind during the Afghan withdrawal and referring to the 13 US service members killed in the August 2021 Kabul airport bombing.

He said his administration had ensured an orderly departure from Iraq, including the removal of US and coalition equipment from Erbil.

“I had a choice to stay or to leave, and felt, without question, that it was time for America to go home!” Trump wrote.

He said the US had gone to Iraq to fight a “caliphate” and argued that, because Islamic State no longer controls the territory it once held, the military mission had been completed.

- New phase for Iraq

The US withdrawal leaves Iraqi security forces with primary responsibility for the country's internal security.

While Islamic State no longer controls large swaths of territory, the group maintains clandestine cells in Iraq and Syria. At the same time, Iraq continues to face the challenge of managing powerful armed groups with ties to Iran.

The withdrawal therefore marks a major change in the U.S.-Iraq security relationship rather than an end to all U.S. involvement in the region. Washington says its forces will continue supporting counter-ISIS efforts from Jordan and maintain a bilateral defense relationship with Baghdad.

Trump concluded his statement by declaring: “We came to fight a caliphate. There is no longer a caliphate. We are going home!”