U.S. forces leave their bases in Iraq on Wednesday, Sept. 30, ending two decades of military involvement

The Washington Post and Reuters both judge that the exit shifts the balance of power in Iraq toward Iran, its proxy militias and the Islamic State.

U.S. troops are set to leave their bases in Iraq on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. The departure closes two bloody decades of American military involvement in the country. Still open. A U.S. official declined to say how many troops remain in Iraq or where they will be redeployed. Baghdad says no foreign combat forces or bases will remain after Sept. 30, and Washington has not confirmed that.

How much of a threat ISIS still poses in Iraq:

ISIS activity in Iraq: 88 events in 2025, against about 1,457 in 2021, per ACLED
ISIS prisoners: the U.S. moved 5,704 detainees from Syria into Iraqi prisons, and drones struck near Baghdad's al-Karkh prison in March 2026, per the Pentagon inspector general