The last US troops leave Iraq, where Iran's influence is growing

Paris, September 30, 2026. The anti-jihadist coalition led by the United States is completing its mission in Iraq on Wednesday, September 30, twelve years after its deployment in 2014, notes Le Monde. These forces had been sent to Iraq and Syria to counter the Islamic State organization, which had conquered vast territories. After the victory over the Islamic State in 2017 in Iraq, and in 2019 in Syria, they remained to track down the last elements of the group. The newspaper recalls that Baghdad and Washington decided in 2024 to put an end to it. The coalition left Syria earlier this year and had begun its withdrawal from Iraq in 2025, limiting its presence to Erbil airport, in Kurdistan.

The French narrative highlights the internal political dimension. Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi has called for celebrating October 1 as the "Day of Sovereignty". The heads of the executive, legislative, and judicial powers see it as a "national event" that "consolidates the presence of the State and its institutions", while emphasizing the need to address the issue of "weapons escaping state authority". Le Monde specifies that Ali Al-Zaidi, who came to power in the spring, has committed under pressure from Washington to obtain the disarmament of pro-Iranian factions, and that his government had initially set September 30 as the deadline.

France 24 emphasizes the follow-up: this withdrawal relaunches the question of disarmament, which several groups still refuse to surrender. Its English-language version speaks of a departure "celebrated as a victory" by Tehran and its allies, while the Trump administration wages war against Iran, which weighs in on Iraq through its proxies. Iraqi officials and analysts warn that this departure could embolden the militias and offer the Islamic State, described as resurgent, the opportunity to rebuild.

The channel also places the episode in the long term: the withdrawal comes 23 years after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein by American forces, which triggered chaos and the rise of the Islamic State, and after the death of 4,500 American soldiers in over twenty years of war. While the departure is largely popular among Iraqis, some doubt that security forces trained and funded by the United States can protect the country. Analyst Jassim al-Bahadli, quoted by the channel, draws the lesson: "security vacuums can be extremely dangerous".

Canberra, 30 September 2026. SBS News and PerthNow are reporting on the departure of the last American forces from their Iraqi bases, expected on Wednesday, 30 September. They describe a departure "celebrated as a victory by Iran and its allies", who now exert a profound influence in a country where 4,500 Americans have died over more than two decades of war.

The two articles highlight the paradox of the calendar: the withdrawal, agreed upon in 2024 under Joe Biden, is being carried out by the administration of Donald Trump while Washington is at war with Iran. SBS presents it as the end of the most costly war for the United States in the 21st century.

The strategic analysis comes from an Iraqi analyst, Jasim al-Bahadli, a specialist in Shia armed groups aligned with Tehran. For him, "Iran is in a position to benefit strategically" from the departure of the coalition, which eliminates a military presence that has long served as a counterbalance. He predicts that pro-Iranian militias will seek to "translate this momentum into increased influence" over security and political decisions.

The report also gives a voice to Abu Mojtaba al-Yasiri, commander of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, who describes the withdrawal as a "historic victory" and a "crushing defeat of the American project". He told Reuters that 30 September would mark the "dark page" turned in Iraqi history.

The second aspect is the jihadist risk. Iraqi security experts believe that the withdrawal could leave space for a return of the Islamic State and other US adversaries. The article notes that the departure of troops is widely popular among Iraqis, but those who worry about the strength of Iran-backed groups consider it premature.

The available excerpts do not mention the Australian contribution to the coalition or a reaction from Canberra: the coverage is based on international dispatches and Iraqi voices.

Dhaka, September 30, 2026. The English-language Bangladeshi press is treating the departure of the US-led anti-jihadist coalition as a test for Baghdad more than as a military event. The Daily Star, which relays AFP, recalls that Iraq is a country "caught between its allies," Washington and Tehran, and that the coalition is leaving the territory this Wednesday.

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who came to power this year with the blessing of the United States, has promised that after this departure, pro-Iranian groups will hand over their arms to the state. The newspaper emphasizes that the issue is "much more complicated" than simple announcements. Several high-ranking Iraqi officials, quoted by AFP, assert that Iran will not accept that the factions hand over their arms, especially during the regional war, and that it has clearly conveyed this message.

Iraqi analyst Sajad Jiyad, quoted extensively, places the key between Washington and Tehran: "If there is an agreement between the United States and Iran, I think this whole issue becomes very easy to handle." According to him, Iran cannot abandon its strategic capabilities as long as the conflict lasts, including the ability to attack American interests in Iraq and in the region. The situation remains "delicate," however, as Tehran does not want an "unstable Iraq." The factions are also demanding assurance that the United States will not target them before considering giving up their arms.

The context of war is presented straightforwardly: Iran-backed groups have targeted American installations in Iraq and the region hundreds of times, which has deepened Iraq's involvement in the conflict.

TBS News covers the other side of the withdrawal, that of European contingents. Italy completed the withdrawal of its last troops from Iraq on Tuesday, ending twelve years of military presence, according to a statement from its Ministry of Defense. Rome had recalled most of its personnel in March 2026, after a nighttime strike against a base in the Kurdistan region. Minister Guido Crosetto sees this as a transition towards greater Iraqi responsibility for its own security. Two carabinieri remain in the country as part of the European Union's EUAM Iraq mission, conducted with the agreement of the Iraqi government.

Tehran, September 30, 2026. The Iranian press is treating the departure of the last American troops from Iraq as a done deal and a success of the "resistance", with very little factual development.

The Mehr News agency, in its English version, published a video dated September 30 titled "Footage shows US military equipment leaving Iraq". The text is limited to one sentence: the images "indicate that the US army is removing its military and war equipment from the region". No specific location, filming date, or figures are given; the image serves as proof of the departure.

The Young Journalists Club (YJC), published on Tuesday, September 29, relies on "English-language media" and Sputnik: American forces must leave their last bases in Iraq "by tomorrow", namely Wednesday, September 30 (8 Mehr). The article mainly gives the floor to Abu Mojtaba al-Yasseri, presented as one of the commanders of the "Islamic Resistance" in Iraq.

He describes this withdrawal as a "historic victory for the Islamic Resistance groups in Iraq and the honorable Iraqis" and a "heavy defeat for the American project". He adds that Iraq will celebrate on September 30 "the end of a dark page in its history".

The same commander draws a political lesson, taken up without contradiction by YJC: this departure would show that Iraq's sovereignty "is not guaranteed by foreign forces", but depends on the resistance and the will of the country's population. The narrative thus places the withdrawal in a logic of a won power struggle on the ground rather than a schedule agreed upon between Baghdad and Washington.

Neither Mehr nor YJC, in the provided texts, mention the disarmament of militias promised by the Iraqi government, the risk of a resurgence of the Islamic State, or the state of war between Iran and the United States. The Iranian reading therefore retains the symbolic triumph and sovereignty defined by the resistance, not Baghdad's security concerns.

Islamabad, September 30, 2026. The three Pakistani titles in the corpus, ARY News, Business Recorder, and Geo News, published on September 29 the same Reuters dispatch, dated from Baghdad: US forces must have left their last bases in Iraq by Wednesday. They open with the viewpoint of the proclaimed winners: a departure "celebrated as a victory by Iran and its allies, who now exert a profound influence" in a country where 4,500 Americans have died in more than two decades of war.

The text recalls the chronology: the withdrawal was agreed upon in 2024 under Joe Biden and carried out by the administration of Donald Trump, even as it is at war with Iran. This irony structures the Pakistani reading, which presents a calendar inherited and executed by a successor in open conflict with Tehran.

The central voice is that of Iraqi experts and militiamen. Security analyst Jasim al-Bahadli estimates that Iran "benefits strategically from the coalition's departure, as it eliminates a military presence that has served for years as a counterweight" to its influence. He predicts that pro-Iranian groups will present the withdrawal as their victory and will seek to gain more weight in security and political decisions.

Abu Mojtaba al-Yasiri, commander of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which federates factions supported by Iran, speaks of a "historic victory" and a "crushing defeat of the American project". He announces that on September 30, "the black page turned" will be celebrated and affirms that Iraqi sovereignty is not obtained through foreign forces but through resistance.

The articles nuance this enthusiasm: while the departure is largely popular among Iraqis, those who worry about the power of armed groups consider it premature and believe that Iraq is not yet ready to assume sole responsibility for the security dossier. The cited experts also warn that other enemies of the United States, including the Islamic State, could return.

None of the three media outlets add editorial commentary or Pakistani reaction: the national perspective is based on the selection and reproduction of this dispatch, which emphasizes the regional balance of power rather than the balance sheet of the American presence.

Doha, September 30, 2026. Qatari media are covering the US withdrawal from Iraq as a shift in regional power dynamics rather than just a military schedule. Gulf Times, quoting a Reuters dispatch, writes that US forces are leaving their last bases by Wednesday, "a departure celebrated as a victory by Iran and its allies," in a country where 4,500 Americans have died over more than twenty years of war. The article highlights the paradox of a withdrawal agreed upon in 2024 under Joe Biden, executed by the Donald Trump administration while Washington is at war with Iran.

The newspaper quotes Jasim al-Bahadli, an Iraqi analyst of Shia armed groups, who says Iran "stands to benefit strategically" from a departure that eliminates a long-time counterbalance to Tehran's influence. Abu Mojtaba al-Yasiri, commander of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, describes the withdrawal as a "historic victory" and "crushing defeat of the American project." Iraqi security officials also fear that the vacuum left behind may allow a return of the Islamic State.

Al Jazeera, on the other hand, aired a video report from Baghdad dated September 29: US soldiers have entirely left the capital's base, with military planes taking off from the city, marking the end of a presence born out of the 2003 invasion against Saddam Hussein.

The Arabic version of Al Jazeera published a more critical op-ed. It presents September 30, 2026, as a "decisive turning point" and claims that the coincidence between the withdrawal and the disarmament of militias is not fortuitous: the government of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi would be trying to meet US demands targeting Iran's allies, such as those addressed to Lebanon and Syria. The author recalls that these factions, forged in the fight against the Islamic State, have official recognition and a separate budget from the Ministry of Defense, and judges it difficult to withdraw this legitimacy from them.

The title of the op-ed itself speaks of a "facade disarmament" allowing Tehran to maintain discreet influence under the cover of the Iraqi state. Qatari coverage thus articulates three elements: the victory proclaimed by pro-Iranian factions, the security risk for Baghdad, and skepticism about promises of sovereignty.

Ankara, September 30, 2026. Turkish forces are not involved, but US forces must leave their last bases in Iraq by this Wednesday, September 30, at the latest. Daily Sabah, a pro-government daily, headlines a withdrawal that leaves "a void for Iran" after two decades of presence. The newspaper recalls that the agreement dates back to 2024, under Joe Biden, and is being carried out by the Trump administration "even as it wages war against Iran".

The newspaper highlights the Iranian reading: the departure is celebrated as a victory by Tehran and its allies, who have deep influence in a country where 4,500 Americans have died. Jasim al-Bahadli, an Iraqi security analyst, estimates that Iran derives a strategic benefit from this, as the coalition has been a counterweight for years. Abu Mojtaba al-Yasiri, commander of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, speaks of a "historic victory" and a "crushing defeat of the American project", and announces that September 30 will be celebrated as "a black page turned". According to the newspaper, this withdrawal could also allow other enemies of the United States, including Daesh, to return.

BBC Türkçe, based on an analysis by BBC Monitoring, raises another question: does this departure mark the end of a mission or a strategic redeployment? The text recalls that the mission launched after the Islamic State took control of large areas of Iraq in 2014 is ending, and that US troops had already withdrawn in 2011, eight years after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. The two governments affirm that the schedule is being respected. Washington reiterates its commitment to the September 30 deadline, and Iraqi officials describe it as a "firm and final date", saying that October 1 will be "a new day in the country's trajectory".

The BBC notes, however, that the debate continues on the future of the US military presence in Iraq and in the Kurdistan region, as well as on the role that US forces could play in protecting diplomatic sites. The Turkish perspective remains that of a regional rebalancing, where Iran appears as the main beneficiary, and where the security of Baghdad against Daesh is a secondary but real concern.