U.S. ends Iraq combat mission

President Joe Biden has confirmed that the U.S. combat mission in Iraq will be over by the end of the year, with the remaining 2,500 U.S. troops shifting to advisory, air support and surveillance roles


U.S. troop levels in Iraq

President 	President Barack Obama 	President 
George W. Bush				Donald Trump
  
130,000

Mar 2003: U.S.-led invasion of Iraq

May, 145,000: President Bush declares “mission accomplished”

Jan 2005, 150,000: Milestone elections begin in Iraq

Dec 2006, 129,000: Saddam Hussein executed

165,607

Jan 2009: President Obama takes office

148,500

Dec 2010: 48,410

Dec 2011, 44,755: Most combat troops leave Iraq

Jan 2012: 11,445

Nov 2014, 1,600: Obama boosts troop numbers to 3,100 after Islamic State group (IS) captures large swaths of Iraqi territory

2016: Obama accelerates campaign against IS

Jan 2017: President Trump takes office

5,200

Jan 2020: Iraq calls for complete withdrawal of all troops after U.S. kills Iran’s General Qassem Soleimani near Baghdad

Apr 2021: Iraq and U.S. agree on withdrawal of all U.S. combat troops

2,500


President Joe Biden


03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 


Source: U.S. Defense Manpower Data Center 
Pictures: Associated Press 
© GRAPHIC NEWS