U.S. to pull all remaining troops from Iraq by Sept. 30

The U.S. military planned to completely withdraw from Iraq by the end of the month, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday. American troops withdrew from a majority of Iraq last year, but hundreds of troops remained in the country’s northern region, an unnamed military official told the Associated Press. Remaining troops in Iraq would be redeployed to other regions of the Middle East, including Jordan, and military equipment and air defense systems would also be removed, the official said. Iran frequently targeted U.S. forces in northern Iraq and removing troops would reduce military risk, the unnamed source said.

How long has the U.S. military been in Iraq? U.S. forces entered Iraq in 2003 with the aim of taking down Saddam Hussein and left in 2011. A smaller group of U.S. forces reentered the country upon the Iraqi government’s request in 2014 to fight the Islamic State group and other extremist sleeper cells. Officials in 2024 decided to end the mission, and all U.S. troops are expected to leave Iraq by Sept. 30.