US forces complete Iraq withdrawal

The United States completed its military withdrawal from Iraq, ending the international coalition’s twelve-year mission against Islamic State. The final British personnel also left. Iraq’s government marked the departure with public holidays, while Iraqi security forces assumed primary responsibility for national security.

• 12 yearsLength of coalition mission — Against Islamic State
• About 2,500Recent US personnel presence — Before the withdrawal
• Around 100Final UK personnel departing — From Erbil

Q1

Why were foreign troops there?

They returned in twenty fourteen at Iraq’s request to help fight Islamic State, after the group captured territory in Iraq and Syria.

Q2

What set the departure deadline?

Washington and Baghdad signed a withdrawal agreement two years earlier, setting the end of September as the deadline for foreign forces.

Q3

What security task changes hands?

Iraqi security forces and Kurdish Peshmerga must now handle remaining Islamic State structures and Iran-aligned militias without coalition personnel.

Q4

What disarmament step remains?

A plan for Iran-aligned militias to surrender their weapons was postponed until June next year, after the troop withdrawal.