The US military is scheduled to end its mission in Iraq on Wednesday, closing an operation that began with the 2003 invasion and later focused on defeating Islamic State (ISIS). The withdrawal follows a 2024 agreement with Baghdad, made before the US-Iran conflict began; the article says the changed security situation raises questions about how the US will respond to threats after the mission ends.

Around 2,500 US troops remained in Iraq as part of the coalition mission, which had shifted towards training, advising and intelligence support as Iraqi forces took on more counterterrorism work. ISIS is assessed as severely weakened, and its attacks in Iraq and Syria have fallen 70% since 2023, according to a US military commander. However, Iran-backed armed groups remain a concern, and a US soldier was killed at Erbil Air Base in July during the controlled detonation of an Iranian drone.