As the US pulls its forces out of Iraq, what happens to Iran-backed armed groups?

The US has announced the withdrawal of its forces from Iraq, 23 years after the invasion that overthrew Saddam Hussein. The development has been hailed by the Iraqi government as a final return to "national sovereignty" after years of American involvement in the country. "October 1 will be a new day in the course of the Iraqi state, with the country free of any foreign military presence and the completion of national sovereignty over its territory," Iraq's Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said in a statement. His statement is not quite accurate - Turkey still maintains a military presence in the country, though it has also pledged to soon hand over its Bashiqa-Zilkan military base in northern Iraq to the government. The end of the US presence in Iraq, the deadline for which was 30 September, had originally also been tied to the disarming of the extra-government armed groups that, since the overthrow of Saddam, have been among the most powerful forces in the country. Red more: As the US pulls its forces out of Iraq, what happens to Iran-backed armed groups? Members of Iraq's pro-Iran paramilitary group Hezbollah Brigades (Kataeb Hezbollah) gather in a mourning procession for one of their comrades who was killed the previous day in a strike in Basra, Iraq, 8 April 2026 (Ahmad al-Rubaye/AFP)