The United States has officially ended its 12-year mission in Iraq. The two countries agreed on the deal in 2024. On Wednesday, the last troops rolled out of the country.
U.S. troops first invaded the country in 2003. They overthrew Saddam Hussein, a brutal dictator. They left in 2011. Three years later, a smaller group of U.S. troops returned to fight the Islamic State terrorist group (ISIS). ISIS members tore through Iraq, harming many people and claiming much territory. After the U.S. military reduced the group’s activity, Iraq and the United States agreed to end the mission.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell says that the departure of U.S. troops reflects that their stay in Iraq was successful. He states that the military defeated ISIS and helped Iraq improve security and stabilize its government.
Now U.S. government officials are attempting to shift their attention from the Middle East to Asia. But ongoing war in Iran makes the shift difficult. Parnell says the United States will continue to provide training and intelligence support to Iraq.
Iran-backed groups celebrate the withdrawal of U.S. troops. Some people in the Kurdish region of Iraq fear that ISIS or other violent Iran-linked groups may return. The Kurdish region has faced more than 1,000 drone and missile attacks during the recent conflict in Iran.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi says that the U.S. departure is a sign that Iraq is growing in strength and independence. He says Iraqi forces will continue to fight against violent groups and keep them from holding weaponry.
He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. — Isaiah 2:4
