Washington spent trillions of dollars and maintained thousands of troops since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
On Wednesday, after 23 years of military occupation, the United States and other members of the so-called “Coalition of the Will” withdrew permanently from Iraqi territory.
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In 2003, Washington sent its troops to Iraq after falsely accusing Saddam Hussein’s government of possessing weapons of mass destruction and providing support to terrorist groups.
The false accusation was at the heart of the so-called “war on terror” launched by the White House after the attacks of September 11, 2001. Once the invasion was completed, however, the Pentagon did not find the alleged weapons.
The intervention of the U.S.-led coalition started one of the most violent stages in the history of this country, with a tenacious armed resistance against the aggressor and acts of sectarian violence, which resulted in the loss of hundreds of thousands of civilian lives.
The occupation alliance was supported by 48 countries, including: Albania, Germany, Andorra, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Estonia, France, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Sweden, and Ukraine.
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Iraqi Authorities Confirm the Conclusion of the U.S. Mission
On Wednesday, Ali al-Zaidi, Iraqi prime minister and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, officially announced the conclusion of the U.S.-led international coalition’s mission to combat the Islamic State (IS).
He made the announcement during an official ceremony in Baghdad marking Iraq’s Sovereignty Day and the conclusion of the coalition’s mission, according to a statement from al-Zaidi’s media office.
“We announce the conclusion of the international coalition’s mission to combat IS, demonstrating that cooperation among friendly forces and peoples has resulted in victory over one of the darkest chapters of extremism and brutality in history,” al-Zaidi said.
He thanked the countries participating in the coalition, as well as its commanders, officers, trainers and advisers who had worked alongside Iraqi security forces.
23 years. $1.7 trillion. 4,500 lives.
Today, the last US base in Iraq closes.
Invaded for WMDs that didn’t exist. Left.
Came back for ISIS. Now leaving again. pic.twitter.com/qPjY4rn7Vn
— Clash Report (@clashreport) September 30, 2026
“The conclusion of the international coalition’s mission does not mean the end of our battle against terrorism. Rather, it marks Iraq’s transition to a phase in which it assumes full responsibility for its security and stability,” al-Zaidi said.
He added that the transfer of joint operations tasks to the office of the commander-in-chief represented an institutional framework for managing the effort under the authority and supreme leadership of the state.
“We reach a significant milestone today: the conclusion of the international coalition’s mission and the presence of its forces,” Iraqi National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji stated.
The US, which has 9 military bases in Iraq, is leaving the country
▪️ Following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the US, which has maintained its military presence, is expected to complete its military mission in the country as of September 30
▪️ While Iraqi officials state that… pic.twitter.com/vRnp3Tlndd
— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) September 29, 2026
He also noted that the conclusion of the coalition’s mission does not signify the end of the partnership; rather, it marks a transition to more robust bilateral relations.
The U.S.-led international coalition was formed in 2014 to assist Iraqi forces in fighting the IS group after the extremist group seized large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria.
Iraqi forces, backed by the coalition, later defeated the group’s territorial presence in Iraq in 2017, while the coalition continued operations against its remaining militants.
The move follows a joint statement by Iraq and the United States in September 2024, which set a timetable to end the coalition’s mission in Iraq.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: Xinhua – teleSUR
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