Why the U.S. Should Fully Leave Iraq?

The U.S. and Iraq have agreed on the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq. It is not an outright pullout but the US will decrease its force presence over the next two years. The mission of the United States against ISIS in Iraq will be over by September 2025. Some forces will continue to continue operations in Syria through 2026.

Some people are concerned with a total withdrawal of the United States. Some believe that it can benefit Iran and ISIS. But these concerns aren’t ground. The U.S. has achieved its objectives against ISIS in Iraq already. When ISIS was at its peak, it occupied territories that were as large as Britain and had a remarkable source of income. Still, ISIS had no friends and all parties were in combat with it.

The U.S. led a large contingent to combat ISIS. After three years of intensive bombing and ground combat, ISIS, by December 2017, lost all its territories. It is not over yet, but the local forces have become capable of fighting against ISIS as of now. As for Iraq’s army and Kurdish fighters, they have been learning a lot.

In any case, the US can act even if it does not have troops on the ground in Iraq. In 2022, the US assassinated an Al Qaeda chief in Afghanistan by drone strikes after the US left the country. The U.S. also has been sharing information about ISIS attacks with Iran and Russia.

Keeping U.S. troops in Iraq is not beneficial. It is worth mentioning that Iran-supported organizations target U.S. facilities periodically. One attack in January took the lives of three US individuals in Jordan. They retaliated but attacks resumed in July and August.

The U.S. has achieved what it wanted in Iraq. Lengthening the time increases the danger to the American forces for no reason. The American people must begin to contemplate the withdrawal from Iraq in its entirety.