US forces leave Iraq: Centcom says a 12-year mission ended, the New York Times counts 23 years from the invasion

What happened. The Hill reports that US Central Command said on Wednesday that all US forces and equipment had left Erbil Air Base in northern Iraq. Centcom called it a "transition to a U.S.-Iraq bilateral defense relationship". The Hill is the only report we hold that names its source.

What ended depends on where the count starts.

Outlet	Counts from	Words used
The Hill	the 2014 mission	"12-year military mission"
The New York Times	the 2003 invasion	"23 Years After Invading"
The New York Times	two decades	"After Two Decades"
The Washington Post	two decades	"two bloody decades"

One report counts the mission. Three count the war.

Who is named as causing harm. One New York Times report says the US presence "unleashed waves of bloodshed". The Washington Post calls the period bloody. None of the four gives a death toll.

Iran. The Washington Post headline says the "balance of power shifts to Iran". It does not say who says so. The New York Times reports that some Iraqis fear being "trapped between Washington and Tehran". That is a fear, not a measurement.

What is not settled. - Whether any US personnel remain in Iraq under the new arrangement. Centcom's statement, as The Hill carries it, does not say. - What the bilateral defence relationship will contain. - Whether Iran's influence has grown. No report gives evidence either way. - We could not read Reuters or MSNBC on this.

This story is about the end of the US military presence in Iraq.

How it got here. The United States led an invasion of Iraq in March 2003 and removed Saddam Hussein from power. US troops stayed through years of insurgency and sectarian war. Under a 2008 agreement with Baghdad, the last US combat troops left in December 2011.

In 2014 the Islamic State group seized large parts of northern and western Iraq, including Mosul. Iraq's government asked for help. The US came back and led an international coalition against the group, called Operation Inherent Resolve. Iraq declared the group defeated on its territory in December 2017. US forces stayed on to advise and assist.

In January 2020 a US drone strike at Baghdad airport killed the Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and the Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. Iraq's parliament then voted, in a non-binding resolution, for foreign troops to leave. In September 2024 Washington and Baghdad announced that the coalition mission would wind down in stages, with the Kurdistan Region last.

The actors. - The United States, which describes the exit as a mission completed and the start of a new bilateral defence relationship. - Iraq's federal government in Baghdad, which has long kept ties with both Washington and Tehran. - The Kurdistan Region, whose capital is Erbil. Erbil Air Base is the last base named in the departure. - Iran, Iraq's neighbour, which has close links to several armed groups inside Iraq.

What is at stake. Who Iraq now relies on for its security. Who fills the gap the US leaves: Iraq's own forces, or armed groups aligned with Iran. How far Iraq can stay between its two powerful partners.

Where it stands. Centcom says all US forces and equipment have gone. None of the reports we hold says what the new defence relationship will mean in practice.

What is being argued about

Whether this ends a 12-year mission or a war that began in 2003
Whether the US departure shifts power in Iraq to Iran
Who is named as responsible for two decades of bloodshed
What a US-Iraq bilateral defence relationship means

Four reports, four ways of describing one departureSide by side

Outlet	What it said	Sourced?
The Hill	"ending its 12-year military mission"; a transition "to a U.S.-Iraq bilateral defense relationship"	Yes: Centcom
The New York Times	"American Forces Withdraw From Iraq 23 Years After Invading"	A correspondent's recollection
The New York Times	"an American military presence that unleashed waves of bloodshed"	Stated in the report's own voice
The Washington Post	"as balance of power shifts to Iran"	No source given

All four report the same departure. Only The Hill names its source.

Sources

The Hill

The New York Times

The New York Times T The Washington Post

Claims and verdicts

true US forces left Iraq on Wednesday, 30 September 2026.

The Hill, citing Central Command, reports that all US forces and equipment left Erbil Air Base, and The Washington Post and both New York Times reports also say the forces withdrew. No report we hold contradicts this, though The Hill is the only one that names its source.

Checked against 4 sources:

The Hill T The Washington Post

The New York Times

unverified The departure ends a 12-year US military mission in Iraq.

Only The Hill gives the 12-year figure, citing Central Command and tying it to Operation Inherent Resolve. The New York Times counts 23 years from the 2003 invasion and The Washington Post says two decades, so they are counting from a different start date rather than disputing the 12-year figure.

Checked against 3 sources:

The Hill

The New York Times T The Washington Post

unverified The US withdrawal shifts the balance of power in Iraq towards Iran.

This is an assessment in The Washington Post's headline, and the report text we hold gives no evidence for it. The New York Times reports that some Iraqis fear being trapped between Washington and Tehran, which describes a fear and does not measure a shift.

Checked against 2 sources:

T The Washington Post

The New York Times

Who wrote it

R Ryan Mancini The Hill

What the bias passes found in their reporting

Accusation attributed the word lying is placed in a named politician's mouth, not the outlet's×1

Asserted versus attributed the president's forecast carried in his own words, attributed to his post×1

Claim carried without a check a presidential forecast is the lede, with no analyst or figure against it×1

Label attributed, not asserted the word racist is placed in the critics' mouths×1

Claims we checked that rest on their reporting

3 disputed4 unverified7 true

From 265 reports we hold under this byline, at The Hill. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →

A Alissa J. Rubin The New York Times

What the bias passes found in their reporting

Asserted versus attributed A judgement on US understanding is stated flat. It is then framed as one correspondent's memory.×1

Measure chosen counts from the 2003 invasion×1

Which measure was chosen The clock starts at the invasion, and the headline names it.×1

Claims we checked that rest on their reporting

1 unverified1 true

From 1 report we hold under this byline, at The New York Times. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →

E Eric Schmitt The New York Times

What the bias passes found in their reporting

How the attacking party is named named with its sponsor attached rather than on its own×1

Label asserted, not attributed the attacking force is defined by its sponsor in the first clause, with no source×1

Who is named as acting the US presence is named as the cause of the bloodshed×1

Who is named as acting The US presence is named as the cause of the bloodshed. Iraqis are the ones who react.×1

Claims we checked that rest on their reporting

3 unverified1 true

From 21 reports we hold under this byline, at The New York Times. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →

E Erika Solomon The New York Times

What the bias passes found in their reporting

Evaluative framing an official's statement is cast as a 'rare admission'×1

Hedge on unnamed sources the central characterisation rests on analysts who are not named×1

Loaded verb Iranian official's statement framed as an 'admission'; the US is named as the actor behind the blockade×1

What is hedged an Iranian official's doubt that the no is final leads the report, attributed×1

Claims we checked that rest on their reporting

3 unverified1 true

From 11 reports we hold under this byline, at The New York Times. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →

F Falih Hassan The New York Times

What the bias passes found in their reporting

Who is named as acting the US presence is named as the cause of the bloodshed×1

Who is named as acting The US presence is named as the cause of the bloodshed. Iraqis are the ones who react.×1

Claims we checked that rest on their reporting

1 unverified1 true

From 2 reports we hold under this byline, at The New York Times. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →

A Alex Horton The Washington Post

What the bias passes found in their reporting

Asserted, not attributed a shift of power to Iran stated flat in the headline×1

Asserted versus attributed The headline states a shift in power to Iran as fact, with no source.×1

Asserted versus attributed the headline states the undercount flat, with no figure×1

Asserted vs attributed the headline attributes the resignation to the governor×1

Claims we checked that rest on their reporting

3 unverified1 true

From 9 reports we hold under this byline, at The Washington Post, The Sydney Morning Herald. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →

M Mustafa Salim The Washington Post

What the bias passes found in their reporting

Asserted, not attributed a shift of power to Iran stated flat in the headline×1

Asserted versus attributed The headline states a shift in power to Iran as fact, with no source.×1

Harm stated, not counted bloodshed asserted with no figure and no actor×1

Claims we checked that rest on their reporting

2 unverified1 true

From 2 reports we hold under this byline, at The Sydney Morning Herald, The Washington Post. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →

The bylines on the reports this story is built from. Hover one for what our passes have measured on their reporting.

Coverage, outlet by outlet

The Hill — independent

US ends military mission in Iraq

The only report that names a source: Centcom says all forces and equipment left Erbil Air Base, ending a 12-year mission and moving to a bilateral defence relationship.

U.S. Central Command (Centcom) on Wednesday announced the departure of U.S. forces from Iraq, ending its 12-year military mission. Centcom stated that all U.S. forces and equipment departed Erbil Air Base in northern Iraq as part of a yearlong wind-down of Operation Inherent Resolve and a transition “to a U.S.-Iraq bilateral defense relationship.” This will…

Measure chosen: counts from 2014: the mission, not the invasion — “ending its 12-year military mission”

Single source: only the US military command speaks — “Centcom stated that all U.S. forces and equipment departed Erbil Air Base”

Which measure was chosen: The mission is dated from 2014 and uses the military command's own term, not the 2003 invasion. — “ending its 12-year military mission”

Whose voice is quoted: Only the military command's statement is carried. No Iraqi voice appears in the lede. — “Centcom stated that all U.S. forces and equipment departed Erbil Air Base”

Read it at The Hill → https://thehill.com/policy/defense/6119808-us-forces-depart-iraq/

The New York Times — independent

American Forces Withdraw From Iraq 23 Years After Invading

Counts 23 years from the 2003 invasion. Says the Americans did not understand Iraq when they invaded, presented as one correspondent's memory.

The Americans did not understand the country when they invaded in 2003. Over a correspondent’s many trips there, it was not clear that this ever changed much.

Measure chosen: counts from the 2003 invasion — “American Forces Withdraw From Iraq 23 Years After Invading”

Which measure was chosen: The clock starts at the invasion, and the headline names it. — “American Forces Withdraw From Iraq 23 Years After Invading”

Asserted versus attributed: A judgement on US understanding is stated flat. It is then framed as one correspondent's memory. — “The Americans did not understand the country when they invaded in 2003.”

Read it at The New York Times → https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/30/world/middleeast/iraq-us-troop-withd…

The New York Times — independent

After Two Decades, U.S. Forces Leave Iraq to an Uncertain Future

The only report with Iraqi reactions: some Iraqis celebrate, others fear being trapped between Washington and Tehran.

Some Iraqis are celebrating the end of an American military presence that unleashed waves of bloodshed. Others fear what happens next for their country, trapped between Washington and Tehran.

Who is named as acting: the US presence is named as the cause of the bloodshed — “an American military presence that unleashed waves of bloodshed”

Who is named as acting: The US presence is named as the cause of the bloodshed. Iraqis are the ones who react. — “Some Iraqis are celebrating the end of an American military presence that unleashed waves of bloodshed.”

Read it at The New York Times → https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/30/world/middleeast/iraq-us-forces.html

T The Washington Post — independent

U.S. withdraws forces in Iraq as balance of power shifts to Iran

The only report that says power is shifting to Iran. It says so in its headline, with no source.

U.S. military forces are set to depart from bases in Iraq on Wednesday, a milestone in two bloody decades of American involvement.

Harm stated, not counted: bloodshed asserted with no figure and no actor — “a milestone in two bloody decades of American involvement”

Asserted, not attributed: a shift of power to Iran stated flat in the headline — “as balance of power shifts to Iran”

Asserted versus attributed: The headline states a shift in power to Iran as fact, with no source. — “U.S. withdraws forces in Iraq as balance of power shifts to Iran”

Read it at The Washington Post → https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/09/29/us-withdraws-forces-ira…

Checked, didn’t cover

Mother Jones

Reuters N NPR

Fox News

Breitbart

National Review

Silence is recorded, not inferred — each of these was read when we built this story and carried nothing on this event.

We could not read these

P Politico

MSNBC

The Wall Street Journal

Associated Press

These are must-cite outlets for this desk that we did not manage to read when we built this story. That is a gap in our reach, not a silence on their part, and it is not evidence of anything about this story.

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US forces leave Iraq: Centcom says a 12-year mission ended, the New York Times counts 23 years from the invasion

What is being argued about

Twelve years or twenty-three

Bloodshed named, dead not counted

Claims and verdicts

Who wrote it

Coverage, outlet by outlet