The US military will withdraw from Iraq by the end of September, American and Iraqi officials announced on Tuesday. This decision marks the end of a 23-year presence in the country, which began with the 2003 invasion against Saddam Hussein.
Background
The US invaded Iraq in March 2003, with a massive bombing campaign that paved the way for American ground troops to converge on Baghdad. The invasion was based on claims that Saddam Hussein had secretly stashed weapons of mass destruction, which were never found.
The US presence in Iraq grew to over 170,000 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 a small number of military personnel behind.
In 2014, the rise of the Islamic State group brought US and partner nation forces back to Iraq to help rebuild and retrain police and military units. After the Islamic State group lost its hold on the territory it once claimed, coalition military operations ended in 2021.
President Donald Trump, standing alongside Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi at the White House, said that the US does not think it needs the military in Iraq anymore, citing the country’s growing relationships with oil companies.
Original reporting: KTSA News/Talk (San Antonio) — read the source article.
