US Ends Military Presence in Iraq After Years of Deployment
The announcement followed the completion of the US military withdrawal ahead of the Sept. 30 deadline, bringing to an end a 12-year deployment focused on supporting operations against ISIS, also known as Daesh.
The departure concludes the multinational mission established in 2014, rather than marking the first time American forces have left Iraq. US Central Command reaffirmed the broader withdrawal timeline while declining to provide details about the final movements of troops and equipment.
The US military presence in Iraq has undergone several major phases, beginning with the invasion and occupation, followed by a troop surge, an initial withdrawal, renewed operations against ISIS and the eventual conclusion of the coalition mission.
The foundations for the US military intervention were laid on Oct. 16, 2002, when the US Congress approved the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution.
The measure gave the executive branch authority to deploy American forces against the government of Saddam Hussein amid allegations involving weapons of mass destruction and links to terrorism.
On March 19, 2003, then-US President George W. Bush announced Operation Iraqi Freedom, saying its objectives were to "disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger."
Coalition forces reached Baghdad in April 2003, leading to the collapse of Saddam Hussein’s government.
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