--- title: "Italy completes 12-year military withdrawal from Iraq" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/conflict/italy-completes-12-year-military-withdrawal-from-iraq" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/italy-completes-12-year-military-withdrawal-from-iraq" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/conflict/italy-completes-12-year-military-withdrawal-from-iraq.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/italy-completes-12-year-military-withdrawal-from-iraq" category: "Conflict & Security" area: "Middle East" published: "2026-09-29T16:25:27.259Z" source_reported: "2026-09-29T15:41:54.000Z" updated: "2026-09-29T16:25:27.259Z" trust_score: 42 critic_score: 59 hype_score: 20 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-09-29T16:15:16.942043+00:00" --- # Italy completes 12-year military withdrawal from Iraq *Defence Minister Guido Crosetto announced the end of the mission ahead of schedule.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 42 of 100, higher is better. Central claim attributed to named body, with multiple independent outlets and a full report. - Craft 59 of 100, higher is better. Most outlets provided digests, with only one full report. Some reports lacked detail on the reason for withdrawal. - Hype 20 of 100, lower is better. Headlines are factual and do not overstate the content of the reports. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Italy has completed the withdrawal of its armed forces from Iraq, ending a 12-year military presence. - The withdrawal was finalised ahead of the September 30 deadline. - Italian forces were involved in operations against ISIS and NATO training missions. - Defence Minister Guido Crosetto described the withdrawal as the start of a new phase in relations with Iraq. Italy has completed the withdrawal of its armed forces from Iraq, concluding a 12-year military presence. Defence Minister Guido Crosetto announced the end of the mission on Tuesday, stating that the final personnel involved in recovering and transferring logistical equipment had returned. The withdrawal was completed before the official deadline of September 30. Italian forces in Iraq participated in operations against ISIS as part of the international coalition and also served on NATO's training and advisory mission. The mission, Operation Inherent Resolve, began 12 years ago. Defence Minister Crosetto stated that the withdrawal signifies a new phase in relations between Italy and Iraq. ## Disagreement on remaining personnel While most reports indicate a complete withdrawal, one digest from Anadolu Ajansı stated that two Italian Carabinieri remain in the country under a separate EU mission. None of the other digests or the full report from Il Post mention this detail. ## What the coverage left out None of the right-rated digests mention the historical context of the 2003 US invasion of Iraq or Italy's earlier peacekeeping role between 2003 and 2006, details that were included in the left-rated full report from Il Post. ## Who covered it Shares of the 6 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 17% (1) - Centre: 16% (1) - Right: 67% (4) 16 of 22 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-09-29T16:15:16.942043+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 4 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-09-29T17:15:08.211Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The left-rated report from Il Post, which was published as a full report, provided historical context for Italy's military involvement in Iraq. It noted that the current withdrawal is due to the end of the entire mission, which was agreed upon by Iraq and the US administration of President Joe Biden. The report also referenced the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, stating it was based on the false pretext of weapons of mass destruction and led to a disastrous war. It mentioned that Italian forces had a peacekeeping contingent in Iraq between 2003 and 2006. ### Centre - The centre-rated digest from WTVB reported that Italy completed the withdrawal of its last troops from Iraq on Tuesday, ending a 12-year military presence. The report attributed this information to a defence ministry statement and noted that Rome had already recalled most of its personnel by an unspecified date. ### Right - The right-rated digests from news-pravda.com, The Straits Times, and vz.ru all reported that Italy completed the withdrawal of its armed forces from Iraq, ending a 12-year military presence. These digests attributed the information to a defence ministry statement. The digest from Anadolu Ajansı also reported the completion of the withdrawal but added that two Italian Carabinieri remain in the country under a separate EU mission. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - veryLow: 1 - mixed: 2 - high: 3 - unknown: 16 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [news-pravda.com](https://news-pravda.com/world/2026/09/29/2629017.html) — Italy on Tuesday completed the withdrawal of its last troops from Iraq, ending a ‌12-year military presence in the country, a defence ministry statement said - [The Frontier Post](https://thefrontierpost.com/italy-completes-withdrawal-of-armed-forces-from-iraq-after-12-years) — Italy completes withdrawal of armed forces from Iraq after 12 years - [Il Post](https://ilpost.it/2026/09/29/italia-ritiro-soldati-iraq) — Italy Has Completed the Withdrawal of Its Soldiers From Iraq, After 12 Years of Mission - [anlatilaninotesi.com.tr](https://anlatilaninotesi.com.tr/20260929/italyadan-12-yil-sonra-irak-karari-askeri-birlikler-tamamen-cekildi-1109136612.html) — Italy's Decision on Iraq After 12 Years: Military Units Completely Withdrawn. - [Anadolu Ajansı](https://aa.com.tr/en/europe/italy-completes-withdrawal-of-armed-forces-from-iraq-after-12-years/4072788) — Italy Completes Withdrawal of Armed Forces From Iraq After 12 Years - [vz.ru](https://vz.ru/news/2026/9/29/1456680.html) — Italy Withdrew Its Troops From Iraq - [Sassuolo 2000](https://sassuolo2000.it/2026/09/29/iraq-crosetto-concluso-il-rientro-delle-nostre-forze-armate-si-apre-nuova-fase) — Iraq, Crosetto ...Concluded the Return of Our Armed Forces, New Phase opens... - [Apa](https://apa.az/europe/italiya-qosunlarinin-iraqdan-cixarilmasini-basa-catdirib-1000431) — Italy Completes Withdrawal of Troops From Iraq - [hathalyoum.net](https://hathalyoum.net/articles/4239400) — Italy Declares Its Full Withdrawal From Iraq - [BlogSicilia - Ultime notizie dalla Sicilia](https://blogsicilia.it/oltrelostretto/italia-ritiro-militari-iraq-fine-missione-crosetto/1302575) — Italy Withdraws the Military From Iraq: After Twelve Years the Mission Ends. Crosetto's Words - [Il Quotidiano del Sud](https://quotidianodelsud.it/2026/09/29/iraq-concluso-rientro-forze-armate-italiane-crosetto-non-e-fine-rapporto-con-il-paese-ma-nuova-fase) — Iraq, the Italian Armed Forces Have Returned. Crosetto: "It Is Not an End to Relations with the Country but a New Phase " - [The Straits Times](https://straitstimes.com/world/europe/italy-completes-troop-withdrawal-from-iraq) — Italy completes troop withdrawal from Iraq - [WTVB](https://wtvbam.com/2026/09/29/italy-completes-troop-withdrawal-from-iraq) — Italy completes troop withdrawal from Iraq - [Agi.it](https://agi.it/cronaca/news/2026-09-29/iraq-crosetto-concluso-rientro-soldati-italiani-39308015) — Iraq, Concluded the Return of the Italian Military - [newsbiella.it](https://newsbiella.it/2026/09/29/leggi-notizia/argomenti/ultimora/articolo/iraq-concluso-rientro-forze-armate-italiane-crosetto-non-e-fine-rapporto-con-il-paese-ma-nuova.html) — Iraq, the Italian Armed Forces Have Returned. Crosetto: "It Is Not an End to Relations with the Country but a New Phase " - [canaledieci.it](https://canaledieci.it/2026/09/29/iraq-concluso-rientro-forze-armate-italiane-crosetto-non-e-fine-rapporto-con-il-paese-ma-nuova-fase) — Iraq, the Italian Armed Forces Have Returned. Crosetto: "It Is Not an End to Relations with the Country but a New Phase " - [periodicodaily.com](https://periodicodaily.com/iraq-concluso-rientro-forze-armate-italiane-crosetto-non-e-fine-rapporto-con-il-paese-ma-nuova-fase) — Iraq, the Italian Armed Forces Have Returned. Crosetto: "It Is Not an End to Relations with the Country but a New Phase " Periodic Daily - [notizie.it](https://notizie.it/iraq-concluso-rientro-forze-armate-italiane-crosetto-non-e-fine-rapporto-con-il-paese-ma-nuova-fase) — Iraq, Completed Return Italian Armed Forces. Crosetto: "It Is Not an End to Relationship with the Country but a New Phase" - [Rec News | Lontani dal mainstream](https://recnews.it/2026/09/29/iraq-concluso-rientro-forze-armate-italiane-crosetto-non-e-fine-rapporto-con-il-paese-ma-nuova-fase) — Iraq, Completed Return Italian Armed Forces. Crosetto: "It Is Not an End to Relationship with the Country but a New Phase" - [italpress.com](https://italpress.com/iraq-crosetto-concluso-il-rientro-delle-nostre-forze-armate-si-apre-nuova-fase) — Iraq, Crosetto "Concluded the Return of Our Armed Forces, New Phase Opens" - [Agenzia giornalistica Opinione](https://agenziagiornalisticaopinione.it/opinionmix/ministero-difesa-iraq-crosetto-concluso-il-rientro-delle-forze-armate-italiane) — MINISTRY OF DEFENCE *: "IRAQ, CROSETTO: CONCLUSO IL RESTRO DELLE FORCE ARMATE ITALIANE" - Journalist Agency Opinion. News From Italy - World / Trentino Alto Adige - [alsumaria.tv](https://alsumaria.tv/news/security/577472/%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%8A%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%B2-%D8%A5%D9%8A%D8%B7%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A7-%D8%AA%D9%8F%D9%83%D9%85%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B3%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%A8-%D9%82%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%A7-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%82) — Reuters: Italy Completes the Withdrawal of Its Forces From Iraq ## Questions **When did Italy's military presence in Iraq end?** Italy's military presence in Iraq concluded on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, with the return of its last troops. This ended a 12-year deployment that began with operations against ISIS and included NATO training missions. **Was the withdrawal completed on time?** Yes, the withdrawal was completed ahead of the September 30 deadline. Defence Minister Guido Crosetto announced the completion of the mission on Tuesday, indicating the final personnel had returned. **What was the role of Italian forces in Iraq?** Italian forces were involved in operations against ISIS as part of the international coalition and also participated in NATO's training and advisory mission in Iraq. Their presence lasted for 12 years. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/conflict/italy-completes-12-year-military-withdrawal-from-iraq. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Italy completes 12-year military withdrawal from Iraq", https://mediabias.news/conflict/italy-completes-12-year-military-withdrawal-from-iraq