Trump Hails Iraq’s New Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi as Last US Forces Depart

WASHINGTON, Oct 1 – US President Donald Trump announced the conclusion of the American military mission in Iraq, highlighting the election of Iraq’s new Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi as a critical milestone for future US-Iraq relations.

The announcement follows confirmation from Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell that the US and its international coalition partners have formally concluded Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq, ending over two decades of American military presence in the country.

Writing on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump praised al-Zaidi’s recent electoral success and expressed strong confidence in his leadership.

“This is a Great Day for America and, importantly, we leave with Iraq having a wonderful new Prime Minister, Ali al-Zaidi, somebody I supported from the beginning and fully endorsed. He won an Election that he was not expected to win, and did so, in a landslide!” Trump wrote.

Trump characterized the withdrawal as an “orderly conclusion” to the anti-ISIS mission, noting that coalition forces and equipment were successfully evacuated from Erbil Air Base.

“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,” Trump said. “We came to fight a caliphate. There is no longer a caliphate. We are going home!”

Speaking later at a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration, Trump confirmed that all military equipment had been removed alongside personnel, contrasting the departure with previous foreign withdrawals.

“Today, I’m pleased to announce that the last American forces are leaving Iraq… This day is a victory for the United States, it’s a victory for Iraq, and a decisive victory over ISIS, which has been completely decimated,” Trump said, adding that he chose to exit rather than remain permanently in the region.

Diplomatic Alignment and Security Coordination

Tom Barrack, US Ambassador to Türkiye and Special Presidential Envoy for Syria and Iraq, noted that the military withdrawal opens new opportunities for Iraq’s national governance and security architecture.

“Twenty-three years after the first American boots landed in Iraq, President Trump has completed the transition of our forces home, not by walking away, but by aligning every side of the cube,” Barrack posted on X.

Barrack emphasized that coordination between Baghdad, Erbil, regional partners, and US interests was essential during the transition. He added that the complete exit allows Prime Minister al-Zaidi and the Iraqi government to bring all domestic armed forces under a single state authority and unified chain of command, transitioning the US role from a military garrison to an international partner.

–NMT