DOMINANT ANGLE
Doha is gauging the US withdrawal from Iraq in terms of the regional balance: Gulf Times sees it as a strategic opening offered to Iran, Al Jazeera doubts a disarmament of the militias that would be only superficial.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Gulf Times: US forces are leaving their last Iraqi bases by Wednesday, in a country where 4,500 Americans have died in over twenty years of war.
- 02
Abu Mojtaba al-Yasiri, commander of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, speaks of a "historic victory"; Iraqi officials fear a return of the Islamic State.
- 03
Al Jazeera shows the complete withdrawal of American soldiers from the Baghdad base on September 29, 2026, marking the end of a presence born out of the 2003 invasion.
ANALYSIS
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.
