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American military personnel have departed their longstanding base in Baghdad, bringing an end to a troop presence that traced its origins to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The withdrawal, confirmed in footage broadcast from the Iraqi capital, saw the last US Army soldiers leave the facility as military aircraft lifted off from the city. The departure marks the closing of a base that had come to symbolize the American military footprint in Iraq for nearly a generation.
The pullout was captured in a report by Al Jazeera's Jack Hewson, who was in Baghdad as the final contingent of troops and aircraft left the site. The imagery of military jets departing the Iraqi capital underscored the finality of the move, which follows years of shifting security arrangements between Washington and Baghdad. The base had served as a key hub for US operations in the country since the earliest days of the post-invasion occupation.
The US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, launched against the government of then-President Saddam Hussein, set in motion a military presence that would outlast the regime it was designed to topple. What was initially framed as a mission to remove weapons of mass destruction and dismantle a hostile government evolved into a prolonged occupation, a counterinsurgency campaign, and ultimately a residual advisory and training role. The Baghdad base remained a constant through each of these phases.
At its peak, the American military presence in Iraq numbered in the hundreds of thousands, with bases scattered across the country. Over time, as security responsibilities were gradually handed to Iraqi forces, the US footprint shrank. The 2011 withdrawal ordered under the Obama administration appeared to end the large-scale deployment, but the rise of the Islamic State group in 2014 brought American troops back into the country in significant numbers, once again operating from Iraqi installations.
The base in Baghdad that has now been vacated became a focal point in the debate over the American role in Iraq in recent years. Its presence drew criticism from Iraqi political factions who argued that foreign military installations on Iraqi soil compromised national sovereignty. Periodic rocket and drone attacks targeted the facility, reflecting broader regional tensions and the risk that US personnel faced in the final years of the deployment.
The withdrawal is likely to be framed by Washington as a milestone in the transition to a normal bilateral security relationship with Iraq. US officials have previously stressed that any drawdown would be conditions-based, tied to the capabilities of Iraqi security forces and the threat environment. The completion of the departure suggests that both governments now regard the conditions for a full handover at this location as satisfied.
From Baghdad's perspective, the exit provides a tangible demonstration of Iraqi sovereignty at a time when the country's political class has sought to balance relationships with both Washington and Tehran. Iraqi leaders have at various points called for a timetable for the departure of foreign forces, and the closure of this base may be presented as a fulfillment of those demands. It remains to be seen how the vacuum, if any, will be filled and whether Iraqi units can maintain the same operational tempo without US support.
Military analysts caution that the withdrawal from a single base, however symbolic, does not necessarily mean the end of all American military activity in Iraq. Residual personnel, advisory teams, or intelligence-sharing arrangements may persist elsewhere, and the broader counterterrorism mission continues to be a subject of negotiation. The departure should therefore be read as a significant but partial step rather than a complete rupture.
The timing of the move also carries regional implications. Iraq sits at the intersection of competing interests involving the United States, Iran, and Gulf states, and any reduction in the US military presence is likely to be interpreted through that prism. Neighboring countries will be watching closely to assess whether the drawdown signals a broader American realignment in the Middle East or a narrow, localized adjustment.
For the residents of Baghdad, the departure of foreign troops from a prominent base may be experienced as both a relief and an uncertainty. Two decades of war, occupation, insurgency, and reconstruction have left deep marks on the city and its people. The sight of departing military aircraft closes a chapter that began with shock and awe in 2003, but it does not resolve the underlying questions about Iraq's security, governance, and place in the region.
The human cost of the period that the base represents is difficult to overstate. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis died in the violence that followed the invasion, and millions were displaced. American service members also lost their lives in large numbers, and veterans continue to reckon with the physical and psychological toll of the war. The final withdrawal from the Baghdad installation is, for many, a moment to revisit those losses rather than simply to mark a logistical milestone.
The closure of the base may also accelerate debate within the United States about the legacy of the Iraq war. That conflict remains one of the most contentious foreign policy episodes in recent American history, and its perceived failures shaped subsequent debates about military intervention. The end of the presence at this installation will be cited by both supporters and critics of the war as evidence for their respective conclusions.
Whether the withdrawal proves durable depends on developments on the ground. If a resurgent insurgent threat emerges, or if regional tensions escalate, future American administrations could face pressure to re-engage militarily. Iraq's own security forces, meanwhile, will be tested as they assume full responsibility for facilities and areas previously secured with US assistance.
The departure of US troops from the Baghdad base after two decades is therefore more than a single event. It is the visible culmination of a long and contested relationship between two countries, and a reminder that the consequences of the 2003 invasion continue to unfold. As the last aircraft left the city, Baghdad entered a new phase in which the American military presence that defined an era is, at least at this base, gone.
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