Trump: Orderly US Withdrawal From Erbil Contrasts With Afghanistan

DID Press: U.S. President Donald Trump, referring to the departure of the last American forces from Iraq, described Operation Inherent Resolve as a “very costly mission in hell.”

In a post on the social media platform Truth Social, Trump said the last U.S. forces had left Iraq and called the withdrawal “a victory for the United States, a victory for Iraq and a decisive victory over ISIS.”

He also referred to the withdrawal of coalition forces from Erbil Air Base, saying the orderly process marked the end of the coalition’s costly military presence in Iraq. The U.S. Central Command confirmed that U.S. forces and equipment completed their orderly departure from Erbil on September 30, marking the end of Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq.

Comparing the withdrawal with the U.S. departure from Afghanistan, Trump said large amounts of military equipment and facilities had been left behind in Afghanistan, while 13 U.S. service members were killed and others seriously wounded. He described the withdrawal from Erbil as different and orderly.

He also criticized past decisions to enter the Iraq war, saying those decisions had drawn Washington into a complicated and difficult situation.