Claims Record
Yeni Safak on the End of the US Military Mission in Iraq
Partly consistent with the record
| Case | MEF-CR-008 |
|---|---|
| Date of Item | September 30, 2026 |
| Outlet | Yeni Safak (stance tag: pro-government) |
| Press and Language | Turkish press, Turkish |
| Headline (Machine Translation) | The US's 23-year occupation in Iraq is ending |
| Original | Outlet page |
| Archived Copy | Wayback Machine: none located when checked (2026-10-04) |
| Countries Discussed | United States, Iraq |
| Tags | US forces, Iraq, Counter-ISIS mission |
| Readout | Daily Readout, September 30, 2026 |
What Was Claimed
Yeni Safak reported that the US military presence in Iraq that began in 2003 is ending, that the 2 countries agreed on the withdrawal in 2024, and that about 2,500 US soldiers had been in the country.
What the Record Shows
A Pentagon statement of September 30, 2026 says the United States and its coalition partners formally concluded Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq, consistent with the September 2024 US-Iraq joint statement, and that the Department will continue to provide targeted training and intelligence support to Iraqi partners.
CENTCOM said the same day that it completed the departure of US forces and equipment from Erbil Air Base, which hosted most of the 1,500 American and Coalition forces supporting counter-ISIS operations, and that the coalition task force remains operational from Jordan for the mission in Syria. The withdrawal and the 2024 agreement match the record; the 2,500 figure does not match the figure CENTCOM gave for the final phase.
Records Cited
- Statement by Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell on the Conclusion of the U.S. Military Mission in Iraq, US Department of War, September 30, 2026.
- U.S. Forces End Operation Inherent Resolve Mission in Iraq, US Central Command, September 30, 2026.