Last UK and US Troops Depart Iraq, Ending 12‑Year Mission

Britain and the United States have withdrawn their last troops from Iraq, ending a 12‑year military mission in the country.

The final UK contingent of around 100 soldiers left the Irbil airbase after a coordinated operation with US forces, who also departed on the same day. The withdrawal follows a two‑year agreement made with the Iraqi government to remove foreign troops by the end of September, closing the chapter on Operation Inherent Resolve.

The British Ministry of Defence stated that Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and the Kurdish Peshmerga had secured the defeat of the Islamic State (IS) and were now fully capable of assuming responsibility for Iraq’s security. It added that the coalition would now support a new era of security cooperation under Iraqi leadership.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell called the departure the “successful conclusion of the military mission that defeated IS in Iraq,” and said Iraq’s government now bears the primary responsibility for addressing remaining security challenges, including remnants of IS and Iran‑aligned militias that threaten Iraqi sovereignty.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al‑Zaidi described the end of the coalition’s mission as a transition to a phase in which Iraq assumes full responsibility for its security and stability. To mark the withdrawal he announced that Iraq will hold four “Sovereignty Days” as a national holiday.

Despite the formal exit, the United States and the United Kingdom will continue to provide support: the Pentagon will offer targeted training and intelligence to Iraqi partners, while the RAF will maintain sorties over Syria to prevent IS from gaining ground there.

This is the third time Iraqi, US and British troops have left the country. After the 1991 Gulf War, forces returned in 2003 for Operation Iraqi Freedom and again in 2014 in response to the rise of IS. Over 4,500 US and 179 British servicemen lost their lives during the long‑standing conflict that followed the 2003 invasion, which also saw the death of near‑3,000 IS fighters estimated to remain in the region.