On September 30, 2026, the last U.S. troops left Iraq. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed its forces had pulled out of Erbil Air Base, ending Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq and closing a military presence that began with the 2003 invasion.

Twenty-three years. Four presidents. More than 4,000 American service members killed. And a low-key ending: a handover ceremony led by Iraq’s prime minister.

For Baghdad, it’s the start of a new phase built on Iraqi sovereignty, in the words of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. For Washington, it closes the book on large U.S. ground deployments in Iraq, but not on its commitments in the region. The exit comes in the middle of a war with Iran, with Iran-backed militias already claiming victory and roughly 50,000 U.S. troops still stationed in countries throughout the Middle East.

So what did the U.S. presence look like, what’s left behind, and what comes next? Here’s a quick look.

Key takeaways

  • The last U.S. troops left Iraq on September 30, 2026.
  • The last U.S. base to close was Erbil Air Base in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
  • U.S. troop levels in Iraq peaked at about 170,000 in November 2007.
  • About 50,000 U.S. troops remain in the Middle East because of the war with Iran.
  • The U.S. keeps its embassy in Baghdad and its consulate in Erbil, and will continue providing training and intelligence support to Iraqi forces.

How did we get here?

The U.S. presence in Iraq came in three chapters. The U.S. invaded in March 2003, toppled its then-dictator Saddam Hussein, and then fought a long insurgency that led to President Bush’s 2007 troop “surge.” U.S. forces withdrew in December 2011.

Three years later, the Islamic State (ISIS) seized roughly a third of the country. Baghdad asked for help, and U.S. forces went back. The U.S. combat role ended in December 2021, and a 2024 U.S.-Iraq agreement set the final exit for September 2026. Presidents of both parties made the decisions that shaped every chapter.

What does the U.S. still have in Iraq?

Diplomats, not divisions. Baghdad still hosts the largest U.S. embassy in the world, and Erbil the largest U.S. consulate. A small contingent of U.S. Marines will stay to guard both, along with remaining U.S. air defense, while contractors keep maintaining Iraq’s U.S.-made F-16s and tanks. CENTCOM says it will keep providing training and intelligence support under a new bilateral defense relationship with Iraq.

Is the U.S. leaving the Middle East?

No. About 50,000 U.S. troops are in the region because of the war with Iran, up from roughly 40,000 in February. U.S. forces also left their major bases in Syria in April, and the counter-ISIS task force headquarters is moving to Jordan. The heavy lifting now runs through Gulf bases in Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait, and the Pentagon has extended deployments into 2027.

Supporters call it a leaner, smarter footprint that keeps fewer troops within range of militias. Critics say it hands Iran-backed groups a symbolic win, one some militias are celebrating, and leaves Kurdish partners exposed.

Where does Congress stand?

Congress formally ended the Iraq war authorizations before the last troops left. In December 2025, President Trump signed the fiscal 2026 defense bill, which repealed two of them: the 1991 authorization for the Gulf War, which pushed Iraq out of Kuwait, and the 2002 authorization for the Iraq War, which targeted Saddam Hussein’s government. It was the first repeal of a war authorization in more than 50 years.

It took both parties. Sens. Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) led the effort to repeal the authorizations, and the Senate approved the repeal amendment unanimously. In the House, Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) worked with Democrat Gregory Meeks and former Rep. Barbara Lee to keep it in the final bill. Iraq’s foreign ministry called the repeal a fundamental turning point toward a partnership built on Iraqi sovereignty.

The exit itself is more divisive. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) warned in 2024 that leaving could fuel a terrorist resurgence and open the door to Iran exerting more influence in Iraq. And one authorization remains on the books: the 2001 law passed after 9/11. Unlike the Iraq authorizations, it targets terrorist groups, not a country. It covers al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and their “associated forces,” and presidents of both parties have relied on it to fight ISIS. It still underpins U.S. counterterrorism operations today.

What should we watch next?

Conclusion

The war-era mission in Iraq is over. The relationship, and the region’s risks, are not. The real test now is whether Baghdad can manage militias, ISIS, and Iran’s influence on its own.