U.S. armed forces have completely withdrawn from Iraqi territory, a source in the Iraqi government told the German Press Agency yesterday, Sunday.
Combat forces and support units have left the country, the source confirmed.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
There has been no official confirmation from Washington at this stage.
The governments of the two countries had reached an agreement on the withdrawal of U.S. forces in 2024. According to the U.S. Pentagon, approximately 2,500 members of the U.S. armed forces have been stationed on Iraqi territory in recent years.
Before their withdrawal, U.S. forces were stationed at bases in Erbil, in the autonomous region of Kurdistan, at the airport in the capital city of Baghdad, as well as in the heavily guarded area of the city where government agencies and foreign embassies are located, the so-called Green Zone.
A U.S.-led military coalition became involved in the campaign against the jihadist group Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria in 2014. The extremist group saw its “caliphate” collapse first in Iraq in 2017, then in Syria in 2019.
However, IS cells remain active and carry out sporadic attacks in both countries, despite the loss of the vast territories they once held.
The security situation in Iraq has deteriorated once again since the outbreak of war in the Middle East following the U.S. and Israeli attack on February 28. U.S. armed forces and Iranian armed groups affiliated with the Islamic Republic had already clashed repeatedly in recent years.
Since the outbreak of the war, hundreds of attacks have taken place, particularly against U.S. forces and facilities.
Iran and the armed groups affiliated with it in Iraq are expected to express satisfaction with the withdrawal of U.S. troops.
Starting Wednesday—the deadline for the U.S. military’s withdrawal—“Independence Day” is expected to be celebrated with a four-day holiday in Iraq.
The U.S. and its allies invaded Iraq in 2003, when they overthrew Saddam Hussein. The U.S. military, which had withdrawn most of its combat forces from the country in 2011, returned in 2014, at Baghdad’s request to combat ISIS.
Source: KYPE
