U.S. troops withdraw from Abil base, U.S. formally ends mission to fight jihadists in Iraq

The U.S. War Department said today that the United States has "officially ended" its mission against jihadists in Iraq as U.S. troops withdraw from Erbil Air Base in Iraq's Kurdistan region.

Agence France-Presse reported that the Pentagon said in a statement: "Today, the United States and our coalition partners officially ended Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq. This move is consistent with the September 2024 U.S.-Iraq Joint Statement and U.S. national interests."

The troop withdrawal agreement reached with Baghdad in 2024 under former US President Joe Biden is now being implemented by the administration of President Donald Trump, who is at war with Iran.

Although the Iraqi public generally welcomes the eventual withdrawal of U.S. troops, those worried about the growing power of Iran-backed groups believe it is premature.

The U.S. military invaded Iraq in 2003 and overthrew Sunni Muslim dictator Saddam Hussein. After that, it continued to occupy Iraq, fostered Shia rule, and fought against rebel forces for many years before withdrawing its troops at the end of 2011.

The U.S. military returned less than three years later and assisted Iraqi forces in defeating the Sunni extremist jihadist organization "Islamic State" (IS) in a major war from 2014 to 2017.

The number of U.S. troops killed during Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2003 to 2011 was approximately twice that of the war in Afghanistan. The war in Afghanistan ended in 2021 with the hasty withdrawal of US troops.

In recent years, Iraq has been the only country to maintain close political and military relations with both the United States and Iran. This has also resulted in Iraqi territory sometimes becoming a proxy battlefield for both sides.