Story perspectives

U.S. Withdraws From Erbil Air Base, Ending 23-Year Presence

By Drooid · Oct 17, 2026, 2:54 AM UTC · How we work

Left

Gas Price Surge

U.S. forces withdrew from Erbil Air Base in northern Iraq on Sept. 30, ending a 23-year presence.
Gas prices jumped 51.2 percent in states President Donald Trump won in 2024, sparking an affordability crisis for voters.
Trump warned the U.S. could strike Iranian nuclear sites using the GBU-43/B Massive bomb.
Analysts fear that Israeli officials lack a goal before the Oct. 27 election, expanding risk.

Right

Republican Party Split

U.S. forces withdrew from Erbil Air Base in northern Iraq on Sept. 30, ending a 23-year presence.
The pullout underscores a split in the Republican Party as voters feel betrayed by President Donald Trump’s Iran war.
Joe Rogan, Michael Douglas and Trita Parsi condemned the Iran war as a mistake, a quagmire and a rift.
Davis Engle said President Donald Trump’s actions keep Americans safer by denying Iran a nuclear weapon.

Center

Trump Small Potatoes

U.S. forces withdrew from Erbil Air Base in northern Iraq on Sept. 30, ending a 23-year presence.
The Pentagon’s death toll of 21 from Iran operations coincided with President Donald Trump calling the fighting “small potatoes” and a “military exercise.”
The tally includes Major Sorffly Davius (Kuwait) and a Navy sailor who died by suicide.
A Pew poll Oct. 8 found 65 % of Americans disapproved of Trump’s handling of Iran war.

History

Historical Context

The 2003 invasion led by President George W. Bush toppled Saddam and placed U.S. forces in Iraqi Kurdistan, where they operated from bases such as Erbil under the post-Gulf War no-fly-zone policy. After 23 years and a 2011 peak of 4,500 troops costing $2.3 billion annually, the last soldiers left on 30 September 2024, a move that fuels Republican debate and reshapes U.S. Middle-East strategy.

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Gas Price Surge

U.S. forces withdrew from Erbil Air Base in northern Iraq on Sept. 30, ending a 23-year presence.
Gas prices jumped 51.2 percent in states President Donald Trump won in 2024, sparking an affordability crisis for voters.
Trump warned the U.S. could strike Iranian nuclear sites using the GBU-43/B Massive bomb.
Analysts fear that Israeli officials lack a goal before the Oct. 27 election, expanding risk.

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