US withdrawal from Iraq raises concerns over security support
US forces are leaving their remaining bases under a 2024 agreement, as Iraqi officials and analysts warn of risks to security and counter-Islamic State operations.
US forces are withdrawing from their remaining bases in Iraq, completing a pullout agreed in 2024 under then-president Joe Biden and carried out by the Trump administration. France 24 reports the departure is due on Wednesday; it does not confirm that every US military presence in the country has ended.
Iraqi officials and analysts warn the departure could leave a security vacuum, embolden Iran-backed militias and give Islamic State fighters room to rebuild. These are concerns about possible consequences, not reported outcomes.
US forces have provided Iraqi security forces with intelligence, aerial surveillance and reconnaissance against Islamic State. The group lost its territory and self-proclaimed caliphate but retains a sleeper-cell network, according to the report.
The US first invaded Iraq in 2003 and withdrew in 2011, then returned to support the campaign against Islamic State from 2014 to 2017. Retired Iraqi general Mohammed al-Jubouri questioned whether the country’s security institutions had prepared a viable plan for the post-coalition phase.
