President Donald Trump on Wednesday, 1 October 2026, announced that the last American forces are withdrawing from Iraq, declaring a formal end to a US military involvement stretching back more than 23 years. Speaking at a White House event marking National Hispanic Heritage Month, Trump framed the departure as a decisive victory for both nations and a final chapter in the campaign against the Islamic State (ISIS).

Trump's Announcement: Key Remarks

Trump described the withdrawal as long overdue, tracing the origins of US involvement to the 2003 invasion under President George W. Bush. 'It's been a long time with very bad decision-making that got us involved in this quagmire in the first place,' he said. He also referenced Operation Inherent Resolve — the US-led coalition campaign launched in 2014 against ISIS — declaring it formally concluded under his leadership in 2026.

Trump repeatedly contrasted the Iraq exit with the 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan, emphasising that this departure was orderly and that all personnel and equipment were removed. 'This orderly departure of coalition forces and equipment from Erbil Air Base marks the end of a very expensive excursion into hell,' he said. 'And again, we took all of our equipment.'

The Human and Financial Cost of Two Decades

Trump cited the toll of the prolonged military engagement, stating that the United States had lost more than 4,500 soldiers and sustained over 31,000 injuries, with hundreds of civilian contractors also killed during the conflict. He described his decision to withdraw as a rejection of pressure to maintain a permanent footprint in the country. 'A lot of people wanted us to be permanently there. I had a choice to stay or to leave, and felt without question that it was time for America to go home,' he said.

Iraq's New Government and the ISIS Defeat

Trump praised Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, whom he said he had backed during Iraq's elections, and said the US was leaving with a new government in place. He framed the full withdrawal as both a military and political success, linking it directly to the dismantling of ISIS's territorial caliphate. 'We came to fight a caliphate, and there is no longer a caliphate, so we are going home indeed,' he said.

Historical Context: From 2003 to 2026

The US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 toppled the government of Saddam Hussein. Most American troops were withdrawn by 2011, but forces returned in 2014 after ISIS seized large swathes of Iraq and Syria. The renewed campaign, conducted under a multinational coalition framework, successfully dismantled the ISIS territorial caliphate, though sporadic militant activity has persisted. This latest withdrawal signals the definitive end of that second phase of engagement, which spanned multiple US administrations.

With US forces now out, attention will turn to whether Iraq's security forces can independently contain residual militant threats — and what the departure means for the broader regional balance involving Iran, Kurdish factions, and remaining coalition partners.