US troops will leave some longstanding bases in Iraq under new deal

The US announced an agreement with the Iraqi government Friday to wrap up the military mission in Iraq of an Americanled coalition fighting the Islamic State group by next year with US troops departing some bases that they have long occupied during a twodecadelong military presence in the countryBut the Biden administration refused to provide details on how many of the approximately 2500 US troops still serving in Iraq will remain there or acknowledge it will mark a full withdrawal from the country I think its fair to say that you know our footprint is going to be changing within the country Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters Friday without providing specificsThe announcement comes at a particularly contentious time for the Middle East with escalating conflict between Israel and two Iranianbacked militant groups Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza threatening a broader regional war Bases housing US forces and contractors have been regularly targeted by Iranbacked militias over the last several years and those attacks intensified late last year and early this spring after the IsraelHamas war broke out nearly a year agoFor years Iraqi officials have periodically called for a withdrawal of coalition forces and formal talks to wind down the US presence in the country have been going on for months US officials who briefed reporters Friday said the agreement will bring about a twophase transition in the troops assigned to Iraq that began this month In the first phase which runs through September 2025 the coalition mission against ISIS will end and forces will leave some longstanding basesFollowing the November election American forces will start departing from Ain alAsad airbase in western Iraq and from Baghdad International Airport according to Iraqi government officials who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity Those forces will be moved to Hareer base in Erbil in northern Iraqs Kurdistan regionIn the second phase the US will continue to operate in some fashion from Iraq through 2026 to support counterISIS operations in Syria a senior Biden administration official and a senior defence official said on the condition of anonymity on a call with reporters to provide details ahead of the announcementUltimately the US military mission would transition to a bilateral security relationship the US officials said but they did not indicate what that might mean for the number of American troops who remain in Iraq in the futureThe Iraqi officials said some American troops may stay at Hareer base after 2026 because the Kurdistan regional government would like them to stayWe have taken an important step in resolving the issue of the international coalition to fight ISIS Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed alSudani said in a speech this month He noted the governments belief in the capabilities of our security forces that defeated the remnants of ISISThe continued presence of US troops has been a political vulnerability for Sudani whose government is under increased influence from Iran Iraq has long struggled to balance its ties with the US and Iran both allies of the Iraqi government but regional archenemiesWe thank the government for its position to expel the international coalition forces Qais Khazali founder of Asaib Ahl alHaq an Iranbacked Iraqi Shia militia that has conducted attacks against US forces in Iraq said last weekThe agreement marks the third time in the last two decades that the US has announced a formal transition of the militarys role thereThe US invaded Iraq in March 2003 in what it called a massive shock and awe bombing campaign that lit up the skies laid waste to large sections of the country and paved the way for American ground troops to converge on Baghdad The invasion was based on what turned out to be faulty claims that Saddam Hussein had secretly stashed weapons of mass destruction Such weapons never materialisedThe US presence grew to more than 170000 troops at the peak of counterinsurgency operations in 2007 The Obama administration negotiated the drawdown of forces and in December 2011 the final combat troops departed leaving only a small number of military personnel behind to staff an office of security assistance and a detachment of Marines to guard the embassy compoundIn 2014 the rise of the Islamic State group and its rapid capture of a wide swath across Iraq and Syria brought US and partner nation forces back at the invitation of the Iraqi government to help rebuild and retrain police and military units that had fallen apart and fledAfter ISIS lost its hold on the territory it once claimed coalition military operations ended in 2021 An enduring US presence of about 2500 troops stayed in Iraq to maintain training and conduct partnered counterISIS operations with Iraqs militaryIn the years since the US has maintained that presence to pressure Iranianbacked militias active in Iraq and Syria The presence of American forces in Iraq also makes it more difficult for Iran to move weapons across Iraq and Syria into Lebanon for use by its proxies including the Lebanese Hezbollah against IsraelThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever