This is actually the second time the US has left Iraq. The first was in 2011, when Washington ended the occupation which began with the 2003 invasion. But US forces returned in 2014 to lead a multinational fight against ISIS, the jihadist militant group born amid the chaos and sectarian strife triggered by the original US invasion. Today’s exit saw the last 2,500 US troops leave Erbil, capital of Iraq’s semiautonomous Kurdish region. “Our happiness is mixed with fear,” an Iraqi photographer told the New York Times. The US invasion removed a hated dictator but touched off violence and sectarian clashes that claimed at least 300,000 lives, and gave rise to jihadist groups like ISIS. Iraq’s fragile democracy faces immense pressures today as it balances between Iran — which backs powerful Shia militias in Iraq — and the US, which has demanded that Baghdad rein in Tehran’s influence.
Hard Numbers
US forces leave Iraq
Will Fitzpatrick
By Alex KlimentSeptember 30, 2026
Alex Kliment
Alex wears a few different caps and tips them all regularly. He writes for the GZERO Daily, works as a field correspondent for GZERO's nationally syndicated TV show GZERO WORLD WITH IAN BREMMER, and writes/directs/voices GZERO's award-winning puppet satire show PUPPET REGIME. Prior to joining GZERO, Alex worked as an analyst covering Russia and broader Emerging Markets for Eurasia Group. He has also written for the Financial Times from Washington, DC, and Sao Paulo Brazil. In his spare time, he makes short films and composes scores for long ones. He studied history and Slavic literature at Columbia and has a Master's from Johns Hopkins SAIS. He's a native New Yorker, a long-suffering Mets fan, and owns too many bicycles.
