00:20America is officially out of Iraq.
00:23On September 30th, the United States completed the withdrawal of its forces and equipment
00:28from Erbil Air Base, ending the U.S.-led Operation Inherent Resolve mission in Iraq after 12
00:35years.
00:35The final departure marks the end of the latest chapter of an American military presence that
00:41began with the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
00:44But this time, Washington says the mission is ending because Iraqi forces are ready to
00:49take primary responsibility for their country's security.
00:52The Pentagon called the departure an orderly withdrawal, and said the campaign had defeated
00:57ISIS as an organized military threat in Iraq.
01:00The U.S.-led coalition began the anti-ISIS mission in 2014, after the militant group seized
01:07large areas of Iraq.
01:09Now the coalition's task force headquarters has shifted to Jordan, while U.S. forces
01:14continue counter-ISIS operations in Syria.
01:17Around 1,500 American and coalition personnel had been operating from Erbil before the final
01:22withdrawal.
01:23And while the combat mission is ending, the broader U.S.-Iraq relationship is not.
01:29Washington is moving toward a bilateral security relationship with Baghdad, while a limited
01:34American presence remains for diplomatic protection and other support roles.
01:38But the withdrawal comes at a tense moment.
01:41Iraq has been caught in the middle of the wider confrontation between Washington and Tehran,
01:46with Iran-aligned armed groups maintaining significant influence inside the country.
01:51The departure has been welcomed by Iran-backed groups, which have portrayed the American exit
01:56as a victory.
01:57But Kurdish officials and other Iraqis have raised concerns about what happens next, particularly
02:03after the removal of American air defenses and amid fears of renewed militant activity.
02:09The U.S. military presence in Iraq has already undergone one major ending.
02:14American forces withdrew in 2011, only to return three years later after ISIS seized major parts
02:21of the country.
02:22Now, after another 12 years, Washington is once again leaving.
02:26The story, however, stretches much further back.
02:29The 2003 invasion toppled Saddam Hussein and triggered years of occupation, insurgency, and
02:36sectarian violence.
02:37The war also became one of the most consequential and costly military interventions in modern American
02:43history.
02:44More than 4,500 U.S. service members died in the Iraq theater, while estimates of Iraqi
02:50civilian deaths vary dramatically depending on methodology and period measured.
02:55The financial costs have also been enormous, with some estimates placing the broader cost
03:00of the Iraq war and its aftermath above $1.7 trillion.
03:05Supporters of the intervention point to Saddam Hussein's removal, the development of Iraqi security
03:10forces, and the eventual defeat of ISIS as an organized territorial force.
03:15Critics point to the intelligence failings surrounding weapons of mass destruction, post-invasion
03:20instability, detention abuses including Abu Ghraib, and the consequences of the power vacuum
03:25that followed.
03:27Now, the American military chapter in Iraq has reached another turning point.
03:31The last major U.S. base is closed.
03:34The troops are gone.
03:35But Iraq's security future and the balance of power between Baghdad, Washington, and Tehran
03:41remains uncertain.
03:43For the United States, the mission has ended.
03:46For Iraq, the next chapter is only beginning.
04:04The U.S. base is closed.
04:06The U.S. base is closed.
04:07The U.S. base is closed.
04:07The U.S. base is closed.
04:07The U.S. base is closed.
04:07The U.S. base is closed.
04:07The U.S. base is closed.
04:07The U.S. base is closed.
