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WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump praised the completed withdrawal of coalition forces from Iraq, framing the military entanglements in the region as the result of “very bad decision-making” that dragged the United States into a prolonged “quagmire.”
Writing on Truth Social on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, Trump hailed the departure of troops as a “Great Day for America”. His comments coincided with the final departure of US-led coalition personnel and military equipment from Erbil Air Base, signaling the formal end of Operation Inherent Resolve.
“It has been a long time, with very bad decision-making that got us involved in this quagmire in the first place, but soon, that will be part of History,” Trump wrote. He described the withdrawal as the conclusion to a “very expensive excursion into Hell,” emphasizing that American troops were brought home in an orderly fashion alongside their military equipment. He contrasted the operation with the 2021 US exit from Afghanistan, where equipment was left behind.
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The withdrawal brings an end to the formal mission launched in 2014 to combat the Islamic State (ISIS). While ISIS lost its final territorial footholds in 2017 with assistance from coalition, Iraqi, and Kurdish forces, small remnant cells have continued sporadic hit-and-run tactics.
The US Defense Department confirmed that primary responsibility for managing internal security and lingering ISIS threats will now fall on the Iraqi government, though Washington will maintain training and intelligence partnerships.
Trump voiced confidence in newly appointed Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, calling him “outstanding” and expressing optimism regarding his ability to maintain stability. Zaidi similarly welcomed the coalition’s exit, noting that regional military cooperation successfully defeated “one of history’s darkest chapters of extremism.”
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