The United States withdrew from its last military base in Iraq today, twenty-three years after its 2003 invasion and at a time of shifting U.S. security priorities in the region.
The withdrawal “marks a transition from a wartime coalition mission to an Iraqi-led security effort,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
For CFR’s Ed Husain, the exit is “the logical conclusion of a nation seeking to withdraw from a long war.”
It comes against the backdrop of the ongoing Iran war, which has put Iraq in the crossfire since breaking out in February: Iran-backed forces in Iraq have repeatedly targeted U.S. forces in Iraq, drawing U.S. reprisals on Iraqi territory.
Iraq’s government has celebrated the U.S. withdrawal as an affirmation of its sovereignty. The Trump administration now counts on it to disarm Iran-backed militias in its territory, while Iran and its allies have welcomed news of the withdrawal.
The pullout marks a shift in where the United States bases its counterterrorism efforts. The coalition dedicated to combating the self-declared Islamic State will move its headquarters to Jordan and U.S. forces will continue counterterrorism efforts in Syria, U.S. Central Command said.
Nonetheless, the move raised concern among some Council experts who spoke to the Daily Brief, with CFR’s Bruce Hoffman suggesting that it risked creating a “vacuum” like the one that occurred after the initial U.S. withdrawal in 2011. U.S. troops deployed to Iraq again in 2014 after the self-declared Islamic State seized a large portion of Iraqi and Syrian territory.
Husain said that the U.S. pullout could “leave Iran strategically stronger and Iraq weaker.” Hoffman concurred, saying the U.S. exit might “embolden Iran” and undermine the security of the United States’ Kurdish allies in the north of Iraq.
CFR’s Farah Pandith said it could risk giving bad actors a compelling pitch to potential recruits. “The narrative that America has given up on the region, has no interest in its prosperity or future, is dangerous,” she said. “It leaves an opening for the narrative they want to blossom in the minds of future and current recruits.”
The Daily Brief will bring you the latest from the region as it comes.
