Security · Diplomacy
The last US troops leave Iraq, and Washington and Tehran both claim victory
The last US troops left Iraq’s Kurdistan Region on 30 September, ending a 12-year mission against ISIS in the middle of the US–Iran war. Baghdad hailed sovereignty, Iran’s allies claimed victory, and Kurdish leaders warned of being left without air defences.
High divergence
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Where they split
Washington claims victory over ISIS and Tehran a victory for the resistance, while European wires see a vacuum and Arab outlets a sovereignty test.
The insight
Both belligerents claim the same exit as a win; the clearest alarm sounds inside Iraq, from the Kurdish leaders who hosted the last US troops. TASS carried the story largely in Trump’s own words, letting a US president’s verdict on a US war stand as its frame.
What every bloc agrees on
The last US troops left Erbil air base in the Kurdistan Region by 30 September, completing a withdrawal agreed with Baghdad in 2024 and ending the 12-year mission against ISIS. Iraq’s government hailed a new phase of sovereignty; Iran-aligned factions claimed victory. Baghdad has pushed its deadline for militias to give up weapons to 30 June 2027.
The exit in figures
- 1,000+
- drone and ballistic-missile attacks on Kurdistan since 28 February, per the KRG
- ~2,500
- US troops stationed in an advisory role since December 2021
- 7 of 18
- US service members killed in this year’s war who died in Iraq
- 30 June 2027
- new deadline for armed factions to surrender weapons
KRG Peshmerga ministry via AP and Al Jazeera; CNN for the 2,500; Reuters for casualties; The National and MEE for the deadline. End-state troop counts are not comparable: Al-Monitor says ‘a few hundred’, Al Jazeera about 1,500 US and coalition troops at Erbil.
Coverage from 5 of 6 blocs: Europe 3 sources, Russia 1 source, China not observed, Iran 1 source, GCC & Arab 3 sources, United States 4 sources.
How each bloc frames it
Sources are grouped by where they are registered, owned and funded — not by editorial line.
United States 4 sources
Mission accomplished: ISIS beaten, an orderly exit
US outlets carry the Pentagon’s verdict that a 12-year campaign ‘defeated ISIS as an organized military threat’ and Trump’s ‘very expensive excursion into Hell’. Al-Monitor and CNN weigh the costs: Kurdish allies exposed, Iran-aligned militias celebrating, disarmament doubtful.
Associated Press · CNN · Al-Monitor · Atlantic Council
Europe 3 sources
A vacuum that could embolden Iran’s proxies and ISIS
Reuters frames the exit as leaving an opening for Iran and a possible vacuum for Islamic State sleeper cells; Middle East Eye leads with Iraqi celebrations and a war that cost over $1 trillion. Italy, also leaving, calls its own exit ‘a transition towards greater Iraqi responsibility’.
Reuters · Middle East Eye
GCC & Arab 3 sources
Sovereignty regained, but who defends Iraq’s skies?
Arab outlets frame a sovereignty milestone: Baghdad declared a national ‘Sovereignty Day’ and PM al-Zaidi says Iraq now ‘assumes full responsibility for its security’. Al Jazeera and The National foreground the gaps: no Kurdish air defence, hardline factions refusing to disarm, ISIS cells.
Al Jazeera · The National · Carnegie Middle East Center
Iran 1 source
The end of a ‘disastrous’ occupation, won by resistance
Press TV frames the exit as ending a ‘disastrous 23-year military occupation launched on false WMD claims’ and relays factions crediting ‘the sacrifices and resistance of Iraqis’. The IRGC, via AFP, calls US presence ‘the very source of insecurity, terrorism, and instability in West Asia’.
Press TV · AFP
Russia 1 source
Told in Trump’s words: an expensive ‘excursion into hell’
TASS carries the exit largely in Trump’s own words: ‘a very expensive excursion into hell’ born of ‘very bad decision-making’, and an ‘orderly departure’ he contrasts with the Afghanistan pull-out.
TASS
China not observed
Not observed in our registry between 22 September and 1 October.
No Xinhua, Global Times or CGTN coverage of the withdrawal was found in the window.
Outcomes
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What holds up, and what does not
Log in to see what holds up, and what does not
How it unfolded
- 21 SepRubio meets PM al-Zaidi in New York as the disarmament timeline slips to 2027
- 25 SepIraqi Airways halts flights to Iran over US sanctions fears
- 28 SepNajaf–Iran flights resume; Reuters reports a one-month US sanctions waiver
- 29 SepItaly completes its troop withdrawal after a 12-year deployment
- 30 SepLast US troops leave Erbil; Pentagon says Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq concluded
- 1 OctIraq marks Sovereignty Day; IRGC welcomes the exit; disarmament deadline set for 30 June
Where it is written, and where it lands
Coverage is written in Washington, Baghdad, Tehran and West Asian newsrooms; exposure concentrates in the Kurdistan Region, the last US host, which reports over 1,000 attacks since February.
Told in capitals, felt in Kurdistan
Coverage — where it is written Reporting is anchored in Washington (Pentagon, White House) and Baghdad, with Erbil and Tehran close behind; Doha, Abu Dhabi and London outlets add analysis; Rome reports Italy’s own exit; Moscow relays Trump.
Impact — where it lands Exposure falls first on the Kurdistan Region and Baghdad, then on Iran and its allied factions, on Syria and Jordan where the anti-ISIS mission continues, and on Iran–Najaf pilgrim flights.
Sources on this topic
Wire copy is attributed to the originating agency and not counted twice.
Method
Wire copy (Reuters, AP, AFP) is cited via republishers and attributed to the originating agency. Troop counts differ by date and scope. Kata’ib Hezbollah’s claims come via Press TV. No Chinese coverage was found in the window.