DOMINANT ANGLE
Paris is weighing the departure of the last American troops in light of the security vacuum it could create in Iraq, between pro-Iranian militias and the resurgence of the Islamic State.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
The US-led anti-jihadist coalition is ending its mission in Iraq on Wednesday, September 30, after twelve years of presence, according to Le Monde.
- 02
Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi has called for October 1 to be celebrated as "Sovereignty Day" and pledged to secure the disarmament of pro-Iranian factions.
- 03
France 24 notes that several groups still refuse to lay down their arms and that 4,500 American soldiers have died in Iraq over more than twenty years of war.
ANALYSIS
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".
