ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The involvement of American troops in Iraq was “very bad decision-making that got us involved in this quagmire in the first place,” President Donald Trump said on Wednesday, hailing the withdrawal of the US-led coalition as a “Great Day for America.” 

“It has been a long time, with very bad decision-making that got us involved in this quagmire in the first place, but soon, that will be part of History,” Trump said on Truth Social, in a statement about the US-led coalition’s withdrawal. 

He further congratulated the end of Operation Inherent Resolve, the US-led coalition’s mission to combat ISIS in Iraq and Syria, asserting that the jihadists have been defeated and that Washington succeeded by not repeating the Afghanistan scenario, where US weaponry and equipment were left in the hands of the Taliban. 

“This orderly departure of Coalition forces and equipment from Erbil Air Base marks the end of a very expensive excursion into Hell. I set a clear mission, gave our Commanders the tools to finish it, and refused to let a temporary presence become a permanent one,” Trump said. 

On Wednesday, the US-led coalition against ISIS completed its withdrawal from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region in accordance with an agreement between Baghdad and Washington. The withdrawal comes after years of cooperation between the coalition and Iraqi and Kurdish forces in the fight against ISIS.

In his statement, Trump praised Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi as “outstanding,” saying “he will hopefully be able to handle things very well” and “somebody I supported from the beginning and fully endorsed.” 

“This is a Great Day for America and, importantly, we leave with Iraq having a wonderful new Prime Minister,” the US president added. 

In a statement announcing full coalition withdrawal from Iraq, the US Defense Department said that the responsibility of addressing Iraq’s security challenges, including ISIS remnants, now rests on the Iraqi government while the US will continue providing training and intelligence support.

ISIS took control of swathes of Iraqi and Syrian territory in 2014, declaring its so-called caliphate with the Iraqi city of Mosul as its capital. They were territorially defeated with assistance from the US-led coalition forces in Iraq in 2017.

Despite their territorial defeat, ISIS militants have continued to pose a security threat in Iraq through sporadic hit-and-run operations and attacks on remote areas. Iraqi forces, in cooperation with Kurdish forces, have intensified their efforts to eliminate these remnants.

In a speech marking the end of the US-led coalition’s presence, Zaidi hailed the withdrawal of the coalition and said that “cooperation between friendly forces and friendly nations has yielded victory over one of history’s darkest chapters of extremism and brutality.”