US ends Iraq deployment while Iran-backed militias vow to keep arms

U.S. troops stationed in Iraq’s semi-autonomous north will be fully withdrawn by Sept. 30, with the remaining hundreds to be reassigned to Jordan and other neighboring states, and all hardware, including air-defense systems, to be removed. Baghdad has linked the exit to a disarmament timetable for non-state armed groups, but leading Iran-backed militias—Kataib Hezbollah, Harakat al-Nujaba and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada—have flatly refused to lay down arms, demanding political concessions instead.

The Iraqi government aims to integrate these factions into the Popular Mobilization Forces and ultimately under the regular army, while still seeking new air-defense purchases from South Korea, Turkey and the United States. Iranian-aligned groups have continued attacks on U.S. and Israeli interests and have coordinated with Yemen’s Houthi rebels against Saudi targets. Kurdish leaders, including Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, fear the departure will leave the Kurdistan region more exposed to future strikes. Analysts note that Iran is unlikely to relinquish its leverage in Iraq even as the U.S. mission ends.