US military says withdrawal of troops from Iraq is complete

The U.S. military announced on Wednesday that it has completed the withdrawal of all American troops from Iraq, with the last U.S. troops leaving an air base in northern Iraq. 

The withdrawal was agreed on two years ago and brings to a close a 12-year mission to fight the Islamic State group, the Associated Press reported. 

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement that U.S. troops and equipment departed from the air base in Irbil, in northern Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region. 

“This milestone reflects the success of a 12-year campaign that defeated ISIS as an organized military threat in Iraq and across the region. It also marks a transition from a wartime coalition mission to an Iraqi-led security effort supported by a more normal bilateral security relationship," Parnell said. 

Baghdad said the withdrawal signals the country's increasing strength and sovereignty. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who presided over the handover ceremony, said the withdrawal was the beginning of a "new phase" for a sovereign Iraq. He also said that Iraqi security forces will continue to fight against the Islamic State and ensure non-state groups remain disarmed.