Last UK and US troops leave Iraq as anti-Islamic State mission ends
Source: BBC World ↗ (cross-verified by 2 outlets — full list below)
The final contingent of British and American troops has left Iraq, ending more than a decade of coalition presence that began in 2014 as part of the international effort to defeat the Islamic State (IS). Around 100 UK personnel were withdrawn from the Irbil air base in the semi‑autonomous Kurdistan region, a move coordinated with U.S. forces that also departed on Wednesday, fulfilling a bilateral agreement signed two years earlier to pull foreign troops out by the end of the month. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al‑Zaidi declared the exit a transition to full Iraqi responsibility for security and stability, while the United States hailed the pull‑out as a decisive victory over ISIS.
The departure marks the conclusion of Operation Inherent Resolve, the coalition mission that helped secure the territorial defeat of IS in 2017 and subsequently trained Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and Kurdish Peshmerga. The UK Ministry of Defence noted that the forces had supported over 111,000 Iraqi security personnel, including more than 21,000 Peshmerga, and that RAF sorties had struck more than 2,300 IS targets. A recent United Nations assessment found that sustained counter‑terrorism pressure had reduced IS to a few hundred fighters capable only of unsophisticated attacks, but Iraq now faces the ongoing challenge of Iranian‑backed militias, which Prime Minister Zaidi has pledged to disarm despite resistance from powerful factions.
While coalition combat units have left, the United States will maintain “targeted training and intelligence support” for Iraqi forces, and the joint task force will operate from Jordan. The RAF is expected to continue air operations over neighboring Syria to prevent an IS resurgence, and U.S. forces will keep their anti‑IS campaign in Syria, where the UN estimates up to 3,000 militants remain. Iraq plans to mark the withdrawal with four “Sovereignty Days” as a national holiday, underscoring a shift toward Iraqi‑led security cooperation even as the country navigates the delicate balance of curbing militia influence without the direct presence of U.S. and UK troops.
⚡ Effects Interpreter
🌍World Economylow impact
What this means for you
- ▶World markets have a habit of reading between the lines of stories like this.
- ▶Global supply chains might feel a small tremor as businesses adjust.
🏙️Local Economymedium impact
What this means for you
- ▶The high street usually mirrors big-picture shifts, just a little later.
- ▶Your town's economy tends to catch up with big headlines eventually.
🏦Rates & Banksmedium impact
What this means for you
- ▶Your loan or mortgage rate is more likely to drift than to lurch here.
- ▶Base rate decisions are usually made on data trends, not single headlines.
❤️Healthlow impact
What this means for you
- ▶A measured response usually serves communities better than alarm.
- ▶Local health services might get busier depending on how things develop.
💷Wealthlow impact
What this means for you
- ▶Portfolios built for the long haul rarely need a rethink over one headline.
- ▶A modest, well-diversified nest egg tends to absorb shocks like this subtly.
🏠Housinglow impact
What this means for you
- ▶Estate agents often say the market takes weeks to catch up with news.
- ▶Rental yields in the area might shift only slightly, if at all, from this.
🌍 Effects for your country
The U.S.'s central bank rate currently stands at 3.75%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The U.S.'s economy is growing at 2.3% with inflation at 3.2%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the U.S.'s own central bank rate closely. With the U.S.'s unemployment at 4.4%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the U.S. depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
The UK's central bank rate currently stands at 3.75%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The UK's economy is growing at 0.8% with inflation at 3.2%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the UK's own central bank rate closely. With the UK's unemployment at 5.6%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the UK depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
France's central bank rate currently stands at 2%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. France's economy is growing at 0.9% with inflation at 1.8%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track France's own central bank rate closely. With France's unemployment at 7.9%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is already under strain. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in France depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
Romania's central bank rate currently stands at 6.5%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. Romania's economy is growing at 0.7% with inflation at 7.8%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track Romania's own central bank rate closely. With Romania's unemployment at 6%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in Romania depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
The UAE's central bank rate currently stands at 3.65%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The UAE's economy is growing at 3.1% with inflation at 2.5%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the UAE's own central bank rate closely. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the UAE depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.