Trump confirms US troop withdrawal from Iraq complete, Operation Inherent Resolve ends in 2026
Trump called the exit "a decisive victory over ISIS" and contrasted it with the Afghanistan pullout
Published
President Trump said on Truth Social that American forces have left Iraq, with Operation Inherent Resolve set to end in 2026. He called the withdrawal "a victory for the United States, a victory for Iraq, and a decisive victory over ISIS, which has been completely decimated by the Trump Administration."
Trump drew a contrast with the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal, saying that unlike that departure, "where much Military Equipment and everything else was left behind," the pullout from Erbil Air Base was orderly, marking what he called the end of "a very expensive excursion into Hell."
The statement largely repeats one Trump posted earlier the same day confirming the September 30 deadline, and adds no new detail on Iraq's export capacity or security posture. Iraq sustained 2.65 million barrels a day of crude output in September, with 250,000 barrels a day routed through Turkey's Ceyhan port, indicating that the withdrawal timeline has coincided with record flows rather than disrupted them.
The coalition exit removes a potential flashpoint for proxy activity in the region, though Iraq's ability to keep output steady through the transition was already evident before the formal end date arrived. The larger variable still weighing on any risk premium in crude is the unresolved standoff between the United States and Iran over the Strait of Hormuz, where parallel talks continue.