Cargo planes haul US military equipment out as Iraq withdrawal ends

As the September 30 deadline to end the US-led coalition’s military mission in Iraq arrived, footage showed military cargo planes moving US weapons and equipment after 23 years of military presence.

Ally Daily Editorial DeskSeptember 30, 2026, 03:01 PMUpdated: October 01, 2026, 07:04 PM

Cargo planes haul US military equipment out as Iraq withdrawal ends

As the September 30 deadline to end the US-led international coalition’s military mission in Iraq arrived, footage broadcast by Kurdish network Rudaw showed military cargo planes on an airport runway as US weapons and equipment were moved out after 23 years of military presence in the country.

Qasim al-Araji, security adviser to Iraq’s prime minister, told Rudaw the withdrawal covers all defense systems, including those remaining in Erbil, and that the phased removal of troops and military equipment was already under way.

A US C-17 transport plane delivering vehicles to Iraq (file)

A US military official said the withdrawal would be completed by September 30 and that most of the remaining “hundreds” of personnel would be redeployed to Jordan and other states in the region. The deadline for the withdrawal of US and coalition forces was set under a 2024 agreement between Baghdad and Washington.

Al-Araji announced the end of the coalition’s mission, saying relations with its member states will now move to a bilateral framework.

The Pentagon later confirmed that the withdrawal was complete. Defense Department spokesman Sean Parnell said the remaining forces had conducted an “orderly departure from the Erbil Airbase,” calling it “the success of a 12-year campaign that defeated ISIS as an organized military threat in Iraq.” About 1,500 US and coalition troops had been stationed at Erbil. The US will continue to provide “targeted training and intelligence support” to Iraqi forces, while CENTCOM has moved its anti-ISIS task force to Jordan.

A C-130 that Fox News described as the last US military aircraft to leave Iraq