The U.S. Has Left Iraq, but the War’s Consequences Remain

The U.S. Has Left Iraq, but the War’s Consequences Remain
The United States has completed its military withdrawal from Iraq, closing a chapter that began with the 2003 invasion but leaving behind a far more complicated legacy than a simple declaration of victory or retreat.

The departure from Erbil Air Base ends Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S.-led campaign launched in 2014 to help defeat ISIS. U.S. Central Command described the exit as an “orderly departure,” while the withdrawal’s supporters present it as the responsible conclusion to a mission that had achieved its central counterterrorism objective.

That interpretation emphasizes the arc from crisis to stabilization. American forces returned to Iraq after ISIS advances threatened Baghdad and helped support a coalition that ultimately dismantled the group’s territorial hold. The final announcement described the 12-year anti-ISIS operation as having assisted Baghdad “in a successful manner.” From this perspective, leaving is evidence that the mission no longer requires a permanent U.S. military presence.

The opposing reading is less celebratory. The withdrawal also concludes an American involvement that lasted more than two decades, beginning with the invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein and formally ending its first phase in 2011. The later return of U.S. troops underscores how quickly proclaimed endings could give way to new security emergencies.

That tension is visible even in the political messaging surrounding the exit. One account framed former President Donald Trump’s reaction as “We are going home,” a slogan of closure and restraint. Yet the history of Iraq makes closure difficult: Washington can end its deployment, but it cannot erase the costs of the war, the instability that followed, or the possibility that future threats will again test the promise that the United States is finally out.