The 2,500 service members at Erbil Air Base departed on 30 September, closing a 12-year mission. Iranian attacks have caused $5 billion in damage across 11 US bases in the region, and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has called for a formal review of where American forces are based.
The final withdrawal from the Kurdistan region is scheduled for Wednesday. Baghdad is marking the departure as a sovereignty milestone, but the government has yet to resolve how it will manage Iran-backed armed factions once foreign troops are gone.
Baghdad announced the complete withdrawal of US combat and logistical personnel on Sept. 26. The Pentagon has not confirmed the departure, and the two countries have yet to clarify what military ties, if any, will remain.
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