US completes military withdrawal from Iraq after more than two decades
publishers 30articles 36first reported 29 Sep, 06:05 UTCdeveloping since 29 Sep · 5 editions
The United States has completed the withdrawal of its remaining 2,500 troops from Iraq under a 2024 agreement with Baghdad, ending the 12-year US-led Operation Inherent Resolve mission against the Islamic State group and more than two decades of US military involvement in the country.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said October 1 would mark “a new day in the course of the Iraqi state,” declaring Iraq free of foreign military presence and describing the move as the completion of national sovereignty. The government designated four public holidays to celebrate what it called Independence Day.
US forces first entered Iraq during the 2003 invasion, withdrew in 2011 and returned in 2014 as Islamic State fighters advanced across Iraq and neighboring Syria. Turkey continues to maintain troops in Iraq, although Ankara has said it will gradually hand over a northern military base to Baghdad.
The withdrawal comes as Baghdad has delayed its deadline for disarming armed groups and bringing them under state control until June 30, 2027. The revised plan calls for an initial 90-day halt to attacks in exchange for assurances that US forces will not target the groups, followed by a gradual surrender of weapons. DW reported that several powerful Iran-backed groups have rejected disarmament or imposed conditions that could delay the process.
HOW THIS STORY WAS MADE
Reconstructed on 2 October 2026. The machine was off on this day, so no feed was read and no run took place. This edition was rebuilt afterwards from sources that keep history (Google News's dated search, GDELT, Reddit) and from articles the next runs still found, ranked as of the day's end: one edition, not the day's four runs.
Written from 5 articles, headlines and summaries only; 4 independent newsrooms once syndicated copies count as one; the editor kept it as written.
- Publishers
- 30
- Source articles
- 36
- Given to the writer
- 5, headlines and summaries only
- Independent newsrooms
- 4
- Second model (editor)
- kept as written
- Publication gate
- passed
- Human review
- none
WHAT THE EDITOR DID
The second model checked the writer's draft against the same sources and published it as written.
Written by a language model from the sources above, then checked by a second model that may only cut, attribute or correct. How it works →