US forces to exit Iraq by September 30, 2026

Officials said the U.S. military will withdraw all remaining forces from Iraq by the end of September, closing a 23-year deployment that began in 2003. Reaction pending.

End-September withdrawal timeline

The Pentagon said the drawdown will be complete by September 30, 2026, and Iraqi officials confirmed the target date. Officials did not provide an immediate public breakdown of unit rotations, base handovers, or the number of personnel affected.

If the withdrawal proceeds on schedule, Iraqi security forces will assume full responsibility for counterterrorism and base security, officials said; that would shift the operational burden to Baghdad and its partners. A phased pullback could nonetheless leave advisory teams in place to support training and intelligence sharing.

A delayed or partial exit tied to spikes in violence would have the opposite effect, prolonging U.S. operational exposure and sustaining a visible foreign military footprint. That scenario would raise short-term regional risk perceptions and could put upward pressure on energy risk premia if markets perceive a wider escalation.

The stated deadline is September 30, 2026; officials offered no precise redeployment schedule in their initial announcements. Watch for follow-up briefings in the coming weeks that will specify base transfers and remaining mission mandates.