Conflict & Security
Iraq ends coalition military presence as Italy withdraws its last troops
September 29, 2026 at 05:57 PM · Updated 17d ago
Coverage
8 reports · 7 in Arabic, 1 in English · over 8 hours
Iraq has declared its territory free of all international coalition forces, completing a two-year withdrawal that ended Italy's 12-year military presence.
- Italy announced the withdrawal of its last troops from Iraq, ending a 12-year military presence there, according to its Defense Ministry.
- Iraq's Defense Ministry declared the country's territory completely free of any international coalition military presence.
- Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said Iraq will assume greater responsibility for its own security following the withdrawal.
- The withdrawal completes a framework agreement signed by Baghdad and Washington in September 2024, which set a two-year timetable for ending military missions.
- Analysts noted remaining gaps in Iraq's air defense and aviation capabilities, while Baghdad affirmed its readiness to manage security itself.
- US forces are departing their final bases in Iraq on Wednesday, September 30, completing the two-year staged withdrawal.
- The US presence has shrunk from over 170,000 troops at its 2007 peak to about 2,500, with remaining personnel redeployed to Jordan and other regional countries.
- Iraq declared a four-day official holiday, 'Days of Sovereignty,' to mark the end of the coalition mission.
- Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said the withdrawal is part of a strategy to reassert state authority and disarm pro-Iran militias by June 2027.
- Both the US and Iran-aligned militias reportedly gave assurances to refrain from attacks for 90 days following the withdrawal.
- Some armed groups have indicated they will refuse to surrender their weapons after the completion of the foreign withdrawal.







