Italy Iraq Withdrawal Ends Rome's 12-Year Military Mission

On Tuesday, Italy completed the Italy Iraq withdrawal, pulling its last military personnel out of the country and closing a 12-year presence that began with the fight against Islamic State. The Italian defence ministry announced the milestone in a statement, with Defence Minister Guido Crosetto saying Iraqi forces would now assume full responsibility for the country's security.

The pullout finished a day ahead of the Sept. 30 deadline Rome had agreed with Iraqi authorities. The final contingent had stayed behind to recover and transfer logistical equipment, according to Crosetto's statement, which was reported by Anadolu. With the last personnel home, the Italy Iraq withdrawal is complete.

A slow-motion exit

The deployment dates to 2014, when ISIS seized large parts of Iraq and an international coalition formed to push the group back. Italy joined the effort and kept troops in the country through the years that followed, as the fight shifted from front-line combat to training and advisory work.

The final phase of the Italy Iraq withdrawal began months ago. Rome recalled most of its personnel by March 2026, after an overnight air strike hit a military base in the Kurdistan region. Only a small rear party remained after that, tasked with winding down the operation and preparing the last equipment for shipment home.

Italian forces served in two parallel missions: the US-led Operation Inherent Resolve against ISIS and NATO Mission Iraq, which focused on non-combat advisory work and capacity building. Crosetto said thousands of Italian troops had rotated through over the years, contributing to the fight against ISIS and training Iraqi armed forces and Kurdish security forces. The two missions are part of the broader Italy Iraq withdrawal picture, since Rome is leaving both at once.

What happens to the other missions

Italy's departure does not end the wider coalition effort on paper. Operation Inherent Resolve and NATO Mission Iraq will continue operating from other countries, Crosetto said, with the NATO mission temporarily run from the alliance's Joint Force Command at Lago Patria, near Naples. The Italy Iraq withdrawal moves the Italian role out of the country rather than shutting it down entirely.

NATO Mission Iraq has always been a non-combat mission, focused on advising Iraqi defence and security institutions rather than putting foreign troops in the field. That is why Rome described its own role there as advisory and capacity building, and why the Italy Iraq withdrawal reads less as a retreat than as the end of an advisory chapter.

What stays on the ground is minimal. Two Italian Carabinieri officers will remain in Iraq under the European Union's advisory mission, EUAM Iraq, which operates with Baghdad's approval. Rome says it plans to keep working with Iraq through training programs and exchanges of expertise meant to develop Iraqi military capabilities.

Iraq pushes to stand alone

Baghdad has been pressing for exactly this outcome. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has called Baghdad's deadline for ending the US-led coalition's military mission "fixed and final," as reported by PressTV. Over the weekend an Iraqi official said the withdrawal of US forces was complete, though Washington had not formally confirmed it, according to IraqiNews.

The handover carries real risk. ISIS was declared defeated in Iraq in 2017, but its cells are still active in remote areas, IraqiNews reported. A 2024 agreement between Baghdad and Washington set the timetable for ending the American presence, and the US Defence Department had put recent US troop levels at roughly 2,500.

For Rome, the Italy Iraq withdrawal closes a chapter that opened when ISIS seized large parts of Iraq in 2014. For Baghdad, it is a test of whether years of Western training have built a force able to hold the country on its own. More coverage of global security shifts is at UN Closes Summit Week With a Nuclear Disarmament Push Today and the latest from Europe at French Student Protests Blockade Hundreds of Schools Nationwide.

Reuters first reported the completion of the Italy Iraq withdrawal on Tuesday, and the defence ministry statement gives the official version: the mission is over, the troops are home, and what comes next is up to Iraq.

Sources: Reuters, Sept. 29, 2026; Anadolu via europesays, Sept. 29, 2026.