U.S. forces set to leave Iraq after first arriving in 2003

U.S. forces are set to pull out from their last bases in Iraq by Wednesday, a departure celebrated as a victory by Iran and its allies who now have deep influence in the country where 4,500 Americans died during more than two decades of war.

U.S. troops originally left in 2011 but drawn back in after emergence of Islamic State

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In this March 27, 2020 file photo, U.S. soldiers stand guard during the hand over ceremony of Qayyarah Airfield, Iraqi Security Forces, in the south of Mosul, Iraq. The U.S. withdrawal from Iraq was put into motion by president Joe Biden in 2024. (Ali Abdul Hassan/The Associated Press)

U.S. forces are set to pull out from their last bases in Iraq by Wednesday, a departure celebrated as a victory by Iran and its allies, who now have deep influence in the country where 4,500 Americans died during more than two decades of war.

Iraqi security experts say ‌the withdrawal — agreed in 2024 under President Joe Biden and carried out by Donald Trump's administration even as it wages war against Iran — could give Tehran and its powerful allies free rein, while also allowing other U.S. enemies to stage a comeback, including Islamic State.

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