US officials are offering little clarity on the future of the two-decade US military presence in Iraq amid a “transition.” Both the United States and Iraq have announced that the US-led coalition in Iraq to fight ISIL will wind down by the end of 2025, but they have not specified the exact future of US troops in the country. Instead, officials are calling it a “transition” rather than a “withdrawal.”
The wind-down is expected to occur in two phases, with the first phase ending in September 2025 and involving the ending of the presence of coalition forces in certain locations in Iraq. The second phase will see the US continue to operate in Iraq in some capacity at least through 2026 to support ongoing anti-ISIS coalition efforts in Syria. Defense ties between the US and Iraq will then shift to an expanded bilateral security relationship, although it remains unclear whether this will mean a full withdrawal of US troops.
The US initially invaded Iraq in 2003 as part of the global “war on terror” and withdrew most US forces by 2011. However, forces were redeployed in 2014 as ISIL overran large parts of Iraq and Syria. The Biden administration ended the US “combat mission” in Iraq in 2021, with troops shifting to an advisory role.
Talks about further winding down troops began in January and have included top officials from both Iraqi armed forces and the US-led coalition. The presence of US troops in Iraq has been a political issue for Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, with opposition from influential segments of the government. Bases housing US soldiers have been targeted by Iran-aligned militias, although attacks have reduced in frequency in recent months.
Source
Photo credit www.aljazeera.com