Iraq Marks Sovereignty Day as Final US Troops Depart, Ending Coalition Mission Against ISIL

Iraq has declared a new national holiday to commemorate the departure of the last remaining United States troops from its territory, a withdrawal that formally concludes the American-led coalition's military campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The occasion, officially named Sovereignty Day, was marked on Wednesday with official ceremonies and military displays across the country, according to reports from Al Jazeera.

The final contingent of US soldiers left Iraq on Wednesday, bringing an end to a deployment that had spanned more than a decade and shaped the country's security landscape since 2014. The coalition, assembled by Washington and joined by dozens of partner nations, was originally formed to counter the rapid territorial expansion of ISIL, which had seized large swaths of northern and western Iraq, including the city of Mosul.

To celebrate the milestone, Iraq's security forces staged parades in the capital, Baghdad, and in the southern city of Najaf, a location of profound religious and cultural significance for the country's Shia majority. The displays were intended both as a demonstration of national pride and as a signal that Iraqi forces are now capable of securing the country independently.

The decision to establish Sovereignty Day reflects a broader effort by Baghdad to frame the withdrawal as a definitive assertion of national independence. For years, the presence of foreign troops on Iraqi soil was a politically charged issue, with various factions calling for a timetable for departure. The holiday institutionalizes that demand as a moment of national achievement.

The withdrawal also carries symbolic weight beyond Iraq's borders. It marks the closure of a mission that at its peak involved thousands of troops from the US and allied nations, conducting airstrikes, training local forces, and advising Iraqi commanders in the field. The end of the operation represents the conclusion of one of the most significant international military interventions of the past twenty years.

However, the departure raises questions about the durability of the gains made against ISIL. While the group's territorial "caliphate" was dismantled by 2019, its remnants have continued to carry out insurgent attacks in rural and remote areas. Iraqi security forces, along with Kurdish Peshmerga units, have shouldered the primary burden of counterinsurgency operations in recent years, and their ability to sustain that pressure without coalition air support and intelligence will be closely watched.

Experts have noted that the coalition's withdrawal does not mean an end to international involvement in Iraq's security affairs. Bilateral arrangements, intelligence-sharing agreements, and training missions may continue in various forms. The distinction between a formal coalition presence and ongoing security cooperation is likely to blur in practice, even as the political symbolism of the withdrawal remains potent.

The timing of the final departure, coming after years of phased drawdowns, suggests a carefully managed exit designed to avoid the chaotic scenes that accompanied the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. By contrast, the Iraq exit was conducted with coordination between Washington and Baghdad, allowing both sides to present the outcome as a mutual decision rather than a unilateral retreat.

For the Iraqi government, Sovereignty Day offers an opportunity to bolster public confidence in the state's security apparatus. Years of conflict have left deep scars on Iraqi society, and many citizens remain wary of a resurgence of violence. The parades in Baghdad and Najaf were clearly intended to project strength and reassure a population that has endured decades of war, occupation, and instability.

At the same time, the holiday may serve domestic political purposes. Iraqi leaders have faced pressure from factions opposed to any foreign military presence, and the withdrawal allows them to claim credit for ending an arrangement that was widely resented in some quarters. The establishment of a national holiday enshrines that achievement in the country's official calendar.

Regional dynamics are also likely to be affected. Iraq's neighbors, including Iran and Turkey, have long viewed the US presence with suspicion, albeit for different reasons. The withdrawal may ease tensions with Tehran, which has close ties to several Iraqi political and militia groups, while Ankara will continue to monitor developments in northern Iraq, where it conducts its own operations against Kurdish militant groups.

The coalition's mission against ISIL was notable for its reliance on local partners. Iraqi forces, backed by coalition airpower and intelligence, gradually reclaimed territory from the group in a series of grueling urban battles. The campaign culminated in the recapture of Mosul in 2017, a victory that came at enormous human and material cost but was hailed internationally as a turning point.

Since then, the coalition's role shifted toward training, advising, and assisting Iraqi forces, with a diminishing frontline presence. That transition laid the groundwork for the eventual withdrawal, as Iraqi units assumed greater responsibility for day-to-day security operations. The final departure of US troops is therefore the culmination of a gradual process rather than an abrupt rupture.

Nevertheless, the legacy of the intervention remains contested. Critics argue that the 2003 invasion and subsequent occupation destabilized Iraq and created the conditions for ISIL's rise, while supporters of the later coalition mission contend that it was necessary to prevent the group from establishing a permanent statelet in the heart of the Middle East. The new holiday is unlikely to settle that debate.

What is clear is that Iraq now faces its security challenges without the direct presence of US ground forces for the first time in years. The country's armed forces, augmented by powerful paramilitary groups, will be responsible for preventing any resurgence of ISIL and for managing internal and external threats. The success of that endeavor will determine whether Sovereignty Day is remembered as a genuine turning point or merely a ceremonial milestone.

As Iraqis marked the occasion with parades and official statements, the mood in Baghdad and Najaf reflected a mixture of pride and apprehension. The withdrawal of foreign troops fulfills a long-standing demand, but it also places the full weight of the country's security on its own institutions. For a nation that has known so much conflict, the coming months and years will test whether sovereignty and stability can truly coexist.