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By Rodrigo Santos Andrade
US troops leaving Iraq, al-Zaidi says; Trump notes US companies ‘taking out a lot of oil’
visibility comment0 event July 14, 2026 timer 16:03
Iraq’s Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said the remaining U.S. troops in his country would withdraw by Sept. 30 and Trump said they were no longer needed because of how he had weakened Iran.
“On the 30th of September, the U.S. forces will be out of Iraq, while U.S. companies will be inside Iraq,” Zaidi told reporters in the Oval Office. “The relations are now focused on the economy, while Iraq was the center of civilization, the U.S. is the heart of the economic and technology of the world.”
The U.S. military invaded Iraq in 2003 and forces peaked at about 170,000 troops in 2007. About 2,500 troops remained at the start of the year, focused in Erbil to fight ISIS. But the Pentagon had announced in September 2025 that the troops would be reduced in Iraq and shift to fighting ISIS in Syria.
“We don’t think we need the military there any more,” Trump said. “We’re going to create a lot of jobs for both countries, and we’re going to be taking out a lot of oil.”
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