Washington, D.C. [U.S.], July 15 (ANI): The United States military is set to withdraw from Iraq by the end of September, bringing to a close a 23-year military presence that began with the 2003 invasion to oust Saddam Hussein and later shifted to operations against the Islamic State (IS) group, U.S. and Iraqi officials announced.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi at the White House on Tuesday, President Donald Trump said Washington no longer considers a military presence in Iraq necessary.
Through an interpreter, al-Zaidi confirmed the timeline, saying all U.S. troops will leave Iraq by Sept. 30, while American companies will continue operating in the country.
“We don’t think we need the military there anymore,” Trump said, highlighting Iraq’s growing commercial ties with U.S. energy companies.
“The relationship is a whole big relationship where we don’t need the military. We’re there to help them. We’re there to protect them if need be. But we don’t think that’s going to be necessary,” the president added.
Reaffirming the announcement, al-Zaidi said, “U.S. forces will be out of Iraq by September 30, while U.S. companies will be inside Iraq.”
The Pentagon later said the withdrawal fulfills a 2024 agreement reached with Baghdad to end the U.S.-led mission against the Islamic State.
A significant number of U.S. personnel stationed in Iraq when the agreement was finalized during the Biden administration have already departed.
The United States invaded Iraq in March 2003, citing claims that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction. Those claims were never substantiated.
At the height of the conflict in 2007, more than 170,000 U.S. service members were deployed in Iraq.
Most U.S. combat forces withdrew in 2011 under an agreement negotiated during the Obama administration, leaving a smaller contingent focused on security cooperation and protecting the U.S. diplomatic mission.
American forces returned to Iraq in 2014 at the invitation of the Iraqi government after the Islamic State seized large areas of Iraq and Syria.
The mission focused on training and supporting Iraqi security forces in their campaign against the militant group.
Although the Islamic State lost its territorial control by 2021, about 2,500 U.S. troops remained in Iraq to provide training and participate in joint counterterrorism operations until the 2024 withdrawal agreement was reached.
Following that agreement, troop levels have been significantly reduced, leaving only a small advisory presence in the country.
The planned Sept. 30 withdrawal will formally end the U.S. military mission in Iraq under the terms of the 2024 agreement, concluding a chapter that began with the 2003 invasion and later evolved into a training and counterterrorism mission. (ANI)
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