US details plans for Iraq "withdrawal"
The US and Iraq have announced that the completion of the US military mission in Iraq is set to occur within the next year. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
**Iraqi PM Declares American Troops No Longer Necessary in Iraq**
Washington plans to wrap up the American-led international mission in Iraq within the next twelve months, as outlined in a joint statement from Iraqi and US officials. This announcement coincides with rising tensions in the broader Middle East, particularly as Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah engage in hostilities and threaten to escalate the conflict surrounding Gaza.
Following extensive discussions involving the Iraqi Higher Military Commission, the US, and the international coalition, the military mission will shift to a bilateral security partnership, according to the statement released by the US State Department on Friday. This transition is set to be completed within a year, concluding by September 2025.
Meanwhile, the coalition forces will continue their presence in the strategically significant oil-rich regions of neighboring Syria until at least September 2026, in efforts to “prevent the return of the ISIS terrorist threat,” the statement noted.
A commission will be established to devise mechanisms to facilitate this transition and to “ensure the physical protection of Coalition advisors present in Iraq,” as stated.
The Pentagon emphasized that while the US mission is evolving, it does not equate to a complete withdrawal. Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh clarified during a press briefing on Friday, “Our footprint is going to be changing within the country,” and “No, the US is not withdrawing from Iraq,” she added.
Baghdad has been formally negotiating the withdrawal of US troops for at least nine months, with Iraqi officials advocating for this change for years.
In an interview with Bloomberg TV last week, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani expressed that Iraq no longer requires the presence of US troops. “Iraq in 2024 is not the same as Iraq in 2014,” he stated. “We have moved on from wars to stability.”
The US invasion of Iraq in 2003, conducted without UN authorization, was justified at the time by claims that the country possessed weapons of mass destruction—assertions that were later proven to be unfounded. The initial “shock and awe” bombing campaign resulted in massive destruction and toppled Saddam Hussein’s regime, subsequently plunging the nation into turmoil and providing fertile ground for the rise of extremist groups like ISIS.
After ISIS expanded its influence in both Syria and Iraq in 2014, US troops were re-deployed to the region. Coalition military operations officially concluded in 2021, leaving around 2,500 American service members in Iraq as a lasting presence.
Concerns regarding potential consequences of a US withdrawal echo the chaotic exit from Afghanistan, as highlighted by Bloomberg. In recent months, US personnel have faced missile attacks on military sites in Iraq and Syria amid intensifying tensions related to the Israeli actions in Gaza.
Aarav Patel for TROIB News
Washington plans to wrap up the American-led international mission in Iraq within the next twelve months, as outlined in a joint statement from Iraqi and US officials. This announcement coincides with rising tensions in the broader Middle East, particularly as Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah engage in hostilities and threaten to escalate the conflict surrounding Gaza.
Following extensive discussions involving the Iraqi Higher Military Commission, the US, and the international coalition, the military mission will shift to a bilateral security partnership, according to the statement released by the US State Department on Friday. This transition is set to be completed within a year, concluding by September 2025.
Meanwhile, the coalition forces will continue their presence in the strategically significant oil-rich regions of neighboring Syria until at least September 2026, in efforts to “prevent the return of the ISIS terrorist threat,” the statement noted.
A commission will be established to devise mechanisms to facilitate this transition and to “ensure the physical protection of Coalition advisors present in Iraq,” as stated.
The Pentagon emphasized that while the US mission is evolving, it does not equate to a complete withdrawal. Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh clarified during a press briefing on Friday, “Our footprint is going to be changing within the country,” and “No, the US is not withdrawing from Iraq,” she added.
Baghdad has been formally negotiating the withdrawal of US troops for at least nine months, with Iraqi officials advocating for this change for years.
In an interview with Bloomberg TV last week, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani expressed that Iraq no longer requires the presence of US troops. “Iraq in 2024 is not the same as Iraq in 2014,” he stated. “We have moved on from wars to stability.”
The US invasion of Iraq in 2003, conducted without UN authorization, was justified at the time by claims that the country possessed weapons of mass destruction—assertions that were later proven to be unfounded. The initial “shock and awe” bombing campaign resulted in massive destruction and toppled Saddam Hussein’s regime, subsequently plunging the nation into turmoil and providing fertile ground for the rise of extremist groups like ISIS.
After ISIS expanded its influence in both Syria and Iraq in 2014, US troops were re-deployed to the region. Coalition military operations officially concluded in 2021, leaving around 2,500 American service members in Iraq as a lasting presence.
Concerns regarding potential consequences of a US withdrawal echo the chaotic exit from Afghanistan, as highlighted by Bloomberg. In recent months, US personnel have faced missile attacks on military sites in Iraq and Syria amid intensifying tensions related to the Israeli actions in Gaza.
Aarav Patel for TROIB News
