Trump praises US troop exit from Iraq after 12‑year mission

Trump described the September 30 pull‑out as an “orderly” end to a 12‑year mission against the Islamic State.

By Felo News Desk · Published Wed, 30 Sep 2026 20:14:07 GMT

President Donald Trump on September 30 hailed the United States’ withdrawal of its final troops from Iraq, calling the 12‑year mission against the Islamic State a “very expensive excursion into Hell.”

What happened

The U.S. military announced that the last American service members left an air base in northern Iraq on September 30, meeting a deadline set in the bilateral agreement between Baghdad and Washington. The departure ended a 12‑year deployment that began with the 2014 campaign against ISIS and concluded with the final exit of roughly 100 British personnel alongside the Americans, as reported by Reuters.

What the reports add

News18 cited an Associated Press feed that quoted Trump’s social‑media post describing the drawdown as “orderly” and a victory for the United States, Iraq and the fight against ISIS. The Independent provided more detail, noting that the withdrawal was negotiated two years earlier and occurred amid an ongoing U.S.–Iran conflict that has occasionally spilled into Iraqi territory.

What was said

Trump wrote on social media, “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.” (News18). Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell called the exit “orderly” and a transition to an Iraqi‑led security effort (Reuters, cited by The Independent).

How it came about

The withdrawal follows months of diplomatic coordination, including the September 24 agreement for Turkey to hand over the Bashiqa base to Iraq (Felo) and earlier U.S. statements that the mission would end by the end of September. Earlier in the month, Trump warned the UN he would “annihilate” Iran if a nuclear deal was not reached (Felo) and later said he expected new Iran talks (Felo). Kurdish officials have warned that the loss of U.S. air‑defence systems could create security gaps (Felo).

Key facts

The last US troops left an air base in northern Iraq on September 30, 2026. (independent.co.uk)
Trump described the withdrawal as a "very expensive excursion into Hell" and an "orderly" drawdown. (news18.com)
The 12‑year mission began in 2014 to combat the Islamic State group. (independent.co.uk)
Around 100 British personnel also withdrew on the same day, ending the UK’s presence. (independent.co.uk)