First post-US-withdrawal day in Iraq: Kata'ib Hezbollah suspends attacks

The 1 October 2026 marked the first day Iraq was free of any foreign military presence after the last United States troops departed Erbil Air Base on 30 September, ending a presence that began with the 2003 invasion and continued through the campaign against ISIS. In response, Ahmad al-Hamidawi, secretary-general of the Iran-aligned Shia militia Kata'ib Hezbollah, announced that his group would 'suspend military activities in Iraq' now that U.S. forces had gone, with the single exception of targeting any hostile aircraft violating Iraqi airspace. The announcement, carried widely by Al Jazeera and other outlets, signalled a potential easing of years of tit-for-tat rocket and drone attacks on bases hosting American personnel. However, Iraq's government and Western analysts cautioned that primary responsibility for curbing Iran-aligned factions now rested with Baghdad, and that groups like Kata'ib Hezbollah could reactivate quickly if regional tensions with Iran or Israel escalated. For Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, the day was framed as the beginning of a new sovereign chapter.