US President: Organized withdrawal of our forces from Iraq is a great moment for the United States
US President Donald Trump announced the complete withdrawal of US forces from Iraq after the Operation Iron Resolve against ISIS, with intelligence support continuing.
Translated by Qiyas from كونا — Original source
Washington, Sept 30 (KUNA) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the “orderly” withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq at the conclusion of Operation Inherent Resolve against the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) marks a “great moment” for his country.
Trump stated in a post on his platform, Truth Social: “I am pleased today to announce that the last U.S. troops are leaving Iraq. It is a great day for America.” He added, “We are leaving, and Iraq has a new and wonderful prime minister, Ali al-Zaidi, a person I supported from the beginning and fully backed. He won an election he was not expected to win, and he did so by a landslide.”
Trump credited himself, as U.S. president, with ending the American military presence in Iraq after many years, noting that it began under former President George W. Bush and continued under the administrations of Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden. He described the withdrawal as a “victory” for both the United States and Iraq.
He affirmed that his country achieved a “decisive victory” over ISIS and destroyed it during the first term of the Trump administration, adding, “I set a clear mission and gave our leaders the tools needed to complete it, and I refused to allow a temporary presence to become a permanent one.” He continued, “I faced two options: stay or leave, and I felt without any doubt that the time had come for soldiers of the homeland to return home,” adding, “I hope they can manage affairs as best as possible.”
Earlier on Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) officially announced the conclusion of Operation Inherent Resolve against ISIS in Iraq, confirming that it would continue to provide training and intelligence support to Iraqi authorities.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Barnell said in a statement: “The United States and its coalition partners are officially concluding Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq today, in line with the U.S.-Iraq joint statement issued in September 2024.”
Barnell added that this orderly withdrawal of coalition forces and equipment from Erbil Air Base represents a “successful conclusion” to the military mission that defeated ISIS in Iraq. He explained that this step marks an “important milestone” in the success of a 12-year campaign to eliminate ISIS as an organized military threat in Iraq and the broader region, and signifies a transition from a “wartime coalition mission” to a security effort led by Iraq, supported by a stable and normalized bilateral security relationship.
He said Washington expects Iraqi security forces, including Peshmerga forces and other security units in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, to take the lead in ongoing efforts to secure Iraq and counter ISIS remnants. (End) A.M.M.
