The US military has completely withdrawn from Iraq. The last US soldiers have left the country, the Pentagon said. This ends a period of sometimes highly controversial US military operations in the country in the Middle East, which overthrew the former ruler Saddam Hussein and fought the terrorist militia Islamic State (IS).
"This milestone reflects the success of a 12-year campaign to defeat ISIS as an organized military threat in Iraq and throughout the region," said the statement from the US Department of Defense, now known as the War Department under President Donald Trump.
The Iraqi government now bears primary responsibility for overcoming the country's security challenges, the Pentagon said. These included the remaining IS structures and militias allied with Iran, which the US believes are undermining Iraqi sovereignty and stability in the region.
Iraq's Prime Minister: Fight against terrorism continues
"The end of the international coalition's mission does not mean the end of our fight against terrorism," said Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Saidi in a speech on the occasion of the "Independence Day" celebrations in Baghdad. Rather, it marks the transition to a phase in which Iraq assumes “full responsibility for its own security and stability.”
The Iranian-allied militia Asaib Ahl al-Hak described the withdrawal of US troops in a statement as a success and as a result of “resistance to the foreign military presence in the country”. The militia urged the Iraqi government to continue its efforts to end the presence of all foreign forces, particularly Turkish troops stationed in northern Iraq.
Meanwhile, the Kataib Hezbollah militia, also allied with Iran, threatened new violence. The militia said it would overthrow the government of Prime Minister Ali al-Saidi “by all means” if it acted against the “interests of the people”. In a statement, it also threatened to shoot down “enemy aircraft” in Iraqi airspace if necessary.
The influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called for reparations from the United States for the damage caused by the occupation of Iraqi territory. He warned the United States and Iraq's neighbors not to interfere in Iraqi affairs.
Withdrawal of around 2,500 remaining soldiers
According to the Pentagon, around 2,500 US soldiers have been stationed in Iraq in recent years. Finally, they remained in Erbil in the Kurdish region, at a base near Baghdad airport and in the capital's government district, known as the Green Zone. Local media reported that, among other things, anti-aircraft systems had been relocated in recent weeks. The Iraqi government announced the complete withdrawal of US troops on Sunday.
Since 2014, the USA has been fighting with allied states in Iraq and Syria against IS, which was declared militarily defeated there in 2017 and 2019, respectively. IS cells remain active and occasionally carry out attacks. But the Sunni terrorist organization has lost the large areas it once controlled in both countries.
The USA and Iran have been fighting their conflict in Iraq for a long time
The USA and Iran have been fighting their conflict in the region in Iraq for a long time and have repeatedly been on the brink of war. In 2020, the US killed the powerful Iranian general Ghassem Soleimani and the leader of the Kataib Hezbollah militia, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, in a drone strike in Baghdad. Weeks of military tension followed.
With the ongoing Iran war, which the USA started together with Israel at the end of February, the security situation in Iraq has deteriorated again. The Arab country, which produces around four percent of the world's oil needs, has repeatedly been the scene of attacks. The militias allied with Iran attacked, among other things, the US embassy in Baghdad and the Erbil base, which is used by US troops and the Bundeswehr. The US military, in turn, attacked militia targets in Iraq.
Planned disarmament of militias postponed for months
Actually, the powerful militias in the country allied with Iran should be disarmed and integrated into the state security apparatus parallel to the US troop withdrawal. The step announced by Prime Minister al-Saidi was then postponed and is now scheduled to take place in June next year. The most powerful militias in the country have so far refused to disarm. If the move is implemented violently, it could trigger a new phase of serious violence between the groups.
Saudi Arabia has also been attacked from Iraq in the ongoing war, damaging a key oil pipeline in the kingdom. There is particular concern about attacks with the US withdrawal in the Kurdish region, which has already come under heavy fire in the Iran war. Yemen's Houthi militia and Lebanon's Hezbollah are also reportedly active in Iraq.
Departure in 2011 and return in 2014
In 2003, the US and its allies invaded Iraq despite international criticism to overthrow then-ruler Saddam Hussein. The USA and its then President George W. Bush justified the invasion by saying that the government in Baghdad was seeking weapons of mass destruction. This claim later turned out to be false. After a withdrawal in 2011, the US military returned to fight ISIS in 2014 at the request of the Iraqi government.
The Bundeswehr has also been involved in the operation against IS since 2015, including by training soldiers. The current mandate for deployment with up to 500 forces runs until next January. However, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul expects that the Bundeswehr could remain present in Erbil even after the end of the multinational operation.
