The withdrawal of US troops from Iraq in 2026

Active · last development Sep 30: “Trump hails US military exit from Iraq as the end of a ‘very expensive excursion into Hell’”

What this arc covers

The 2026 withdrawal of US forces from Iraq, ending their mission against the Islamic State: the pullout from al-Asad air base, the agreement to leave by the end of September, the attacks on bases by Iran and its proxies, and the completion of the withdrawal.

Photo from Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, with The US military says its withdrawal of troops from Iraq is complete (Sep 29), the story with the most independent sources this week.

Earliest story we hold Jan 17, 2026 · 8 stories · 49 independent sources (counted once each) · 256 days

Part ofIraqIran

Where it standsnewest first · each bar runs left to right by leaning

Sep 30Trump hails US military exit from Iraq as the end of a ‘very expensive excursion into Hell’2 articles · 2 independent sources
0 left, 1 center, 0 right
Sep 30U.S. withdraws forces in Iraq as balance of power shifts to Iran1 articles · 1 independent sources
0 left, 0 center, 1 right
Sep 29– 30Iraq begins high-stakes security balancing act as US troops withdraw2 articles · 1 independent sources

Key momentsthe most covered; every story is below

  1. Jan 17 – 20US completes withdrawal from al-Asad airbase, Iraq says5 articles · 5 independent sources
    1. Jan 17Iraq takes full control of air base after US withdrawal, defence ministry says
    2. Jan 20Only center coverage:Iraq announces full withdrawal of US forces from its federal territory
  2. Jul 14 – 15US military will be out of Iraq by end of September, Iraqi prime minister and Pentagon say57 articles · 16 independent sources
  3. Aug 12 – 13Officials say US forces on track to complete Iraq pullout by Sept. 3014 articles · 14 independent sources
  4. Sep 29 – Oct 1The US military says its withdrawal of troops from Iraq is complete127 articles · 70 independent sources
  5. Sep 30Trump hails US military exit from Iraq as the end of a ‘very expensive excursion into Hell’2 articles · 2 independent sources

Who covered it, over timeindependent sources per week, by side

Jan 12Mar 2Apr 27Jun 15Aug 10Sep 28

LeftCenterRight

Point at or tap a week to see its count by side.

Every week as a table
Week ofLeftCenterRightArticles
Jan 12, 20260011
Jan 19, 20260213
Jul 13, 202602057
Aug 10, 202602113
Sep 28, 2026122013119

Stories before June 28, 2026 come from archived pages, so who covered them is limited to the outlets we recovered for that period.

24% left · 47% center · 29% right of 49 independent sources among the outlets we track, across 8 stories.

Every storyoldest first

  1. January 2026

    Jan 17– 20US completes withdrawal from al-Asad airbase, Iraq says5 articles · 5 independent sources
    0 left, 2 center, 2 right

  2. July 2026

    Jul 14– 15US military will be out of Iraq by end of September, Iraqi prime minister and Pentagon say57 articles · 16 independent sources
    0 left, 2 center, 0 right

  4. August 2026

    Aug 12– 13Officials say US forces on track to complete Iraq pullout by Sept. 3014 articles · 14 independent sources
    0 left, 2 center, 1 right

  5. September 2026

    Sep 29– Oct 1The US military says its withdrawal of troops from Iraq is complete127 articles · 70 independent sources
    12 left, 19 center, 12 right
  6. Sep 29– 30Iraq begins high-stakes security balancing act as US troops withdraw2 articles · 1 independent sources
  7. Sep 30U.S. withdraws forces in Iraq as balance of power shifts to Iran1 articles · 1 independent sources
    0 left, 0 center, 1 right
  8. Sep 30Trump hails US military exit from Iraq as the end of a ‘very expensive excursion into Hell’2 articles · 2 independent sources
    0 left, 1 center, 0 right