Top 10 Iraq War Developments — Past 24 Hours
Date: September 30, 2026
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- U.S. MILITARY FORMALLY COMPLETES WITHDRAWAL FROM IRAQ, ENDS OPERATION INHERENT RESOLVE
- Pentagon/CENTCOM confirmed the last U.S. and coalition troops (~1,500 personnel) departed Erbil Air Base, the final counter-ISIS hub in Iraq, on Sept. 30
- Ends the 12-year Operation Inherent Resolve mission; CJTF-OIR headquarters relocates to Jordan, with U.S. forces continuing operations in Syria
- Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell called it “the success of a 12-year campaign that defeated ISIS” and a shift to an “Iraqi-led security effort”
Source: Al Jazeera (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/30/pentagon-says-us-troop-withdrawal-from-iraq-is-complete)
- IRAQI PM ALI AL-ZAIDI DECLARES END OF COALITION MISSION AT SOVEREIGNTY DAY CEREMONY
- Al-Zaidi told a Baghdad ceremony that ending the coalition mission “does not mean the end of our fight against terrorism”
- Security cooperation will continue via intelligence-sharing, training and technology transfer rather than combat operations
- Joint Operations Command duties shift to the Office of the Commander-in-Chief; Al-Zaidi reiterated no armed group may operate outside state control
Source: Shafaq News (https://shafaq.com/en/Iraq/PM-Al-Zaidi-declares-end-of-Coalition-mission-in-Iraq)
- RETIRED GEN. H.R. MCMASTER WARNS WITHDRAWAL COULD EMBOLDEN IRAN AND ISIS
- McMaster, former U.S. commander in Iraq: “I think it’s not the right time… it’s not clear that there has been the enduring defeat of ISIS”
- Says exit strengthens Iran’s regional position amid ongoing U.S.-Israel/Iran tensions
- Warns of lost battlefield intelligence and direct-support capability for Iraqi forces fighting extremist cells
Source: NPR (https://www.npr.org/2026/09/30/nx-s1-5984953/mcmaster-us-troop-withdrawal-iraq-iran-isis)
- KURDISTAN REGION’S PESHMERGA MINISTRY WARNS OF AIR-DEFENSE GAP
- Peshmerga Ministry says the coalition exit leaves Kurdistan without adequate air-defense coverage
- Notes the region “was targeted by more than 1,000 drones and ballistic missiles during the recent US-Iran war,” with some strikes hitting civilian infrastructure
- Says Peshmerga will keep coordinating with federal Iraqi forces and stay “prepared for new security developments”
Source: Shafaq News (https://shafaq.com/en/Kurdistan/Peshmerga-Ministry-voices-concern-as-US-led-Coalition-exit-nears)
- IRAN-BACKED MILITIAS CELEBRATE U.S. DEPARTURE; HARDLINE FACTIONS REFUSE TO DISARM
- CNN and other outlets report Iran and allied Iraqi factions treating the withdrawal as a political win
- Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Kataib Imam Ali and Saraya al-Salam (Sadrist) claim weapons placed under state control
- Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba refuse to disarm until all foreign troops are gone
Source: CNN (https://edition.cnn.com/2026/09/30/middleeast/us-military-withdrawal-iraq-intl)
- MILITIA DISARMAMENT DEADLINE PUSHED FROM SEPT. 30 TO JUNE 2027
- Al-Zaidi extended the original Sept. 30 disarmament deadline for armed factions to June 2027, telling the New York Times the process needs more time
- Extension followed a UN General Assembly meeting between Al-Zaidi and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on dismantling militias and asserting state sovereignty
- Al-Zaidi: disarmament “is not something that is optional. It is a necessity”
Source: The National (https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/09/22/rubio-and-al-zaidi-discuss-importance-of-disarming-militias-as-iraq-pushes-deadline-to-june-2027/)
- ANALYSTS WARN OF DRONE THREATS AND POSSIBLE ISIS COMEBACK EXPLOITING SECURITY GAPS
- Analysis warns Iraq/Kurdistan lack an independent air-defense system to replace departing coalition capabilities
- ISIS remnants unlikely to seize territory outright but could “exploit isolated security gaps, political disputes and difficult terrain” to rebuild networks, especially around Kirkuk and Diyala
- Outcome seen as hinging on whether Baghdad-Erbil coordination holds
Source: EU Reporter (https://www.eureporter.co/world/iraq/2026/09/30/iraq-after-the-us-withdrawal-drone-threats-an-air-defence-gap-and-the-risk-of-an-isis-comeback/)
- TRUMP HAILS WITHDRAWAL AS “DECISIVE VICTORY,” CALLS WAR AN “EXPENSIVE EXCURSION INTO HELL”
- President Trump publicly framed the troop exit as a decisive victory over ISIS
- Also described the broader 23-year U.S. military involvement in Iraq in blunt terms as costly and painful
- Comments came alongside the Pentagon’s formal withdrawal announcement
Source: Al Jazeera / Boston Globe (https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/09/30/world/trump-hails-us-militarys-exit-iraq-after-its-12-year-mission/)
- LAST COALITION FORCES LEAVE ERBIL AIR BASE AS CENTCOM CLOSES OUT MISSION
- CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper credited troops: “Because of your grit, sacrifice and professionalism, ISIS no longer poses a systemic threat to Iraq’s national security”
- Erbil Air Base was the last major operational hub for the counter-ISIS campaign in Iraq
- Iraqi security forces, including Peshmerga, now hold primary responsibility for national defense
Source: Fox News (https://www.foxnews.com/world/us-ends-operation-inherent-resolve-mission-iraq-final-forces-leave-erbil)
- MASOUD BARZANI WARNS OF REPEAT OF 2011 WITHDRAWAL SCENARIO THAT PRECEDED ISIS’S 2014 RISE
- KDP leader Masoud Barzani: “I am afraid of the same scenario,” referencing the 2011 U.S. pullout that preceded ISIS’s territorial surge
- KRG PM Masrour Barzani told the Financial Times the withdrawal comes “at a highly sensitive time,” leaving the region “without defensive systems”
- Underscores Kurdish leadership’s concern that history could repeat without adequate security guarantees
Source: Shafaq News (https://shafaq.com/en/Kurdistan/Peshmerga-Ministry-voices-concern-as-US-led-Coalition-exit-nears)
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