U.S. armed forces have completely withdrawn from Iraqi territory, according to a government source in Baghdad who provided the information to the German news agency DPA.
According to the source, both U.S. combat forces and support units have left Iraq. However, Washington has not yet officially confirmed that the withdrawal has been completed.
The governments of the two countries had reached an agreement on the withdrawal of U.S. forces. According to the Pentagon, around 2,500 American troops had been stationed in Iraq in recent years.
Before the withdrawal, U.S. forces were deployed at several strategic locations, including bases in Erbil, in the autonomous Kurdistan Region, Baghdad International Airport, and the Green Zone, where government institutions and foreign embassies are located.
A U.S.-led military coalition became involved in the campaign against the terrorist organization ISIS in Iraq and Syria in 2014. The group lost control of its territory in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019. However, ISIS cells remain active and continue to carry out sporadic attacks in both countries.
Iraq’s security situation has deteriorated again following the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. U.S. forces and Iran-linked armed groups in Iraq have been involved in repeated clashes in recent years.
Since the outbreak of the latest conflict, hundreds of attacks have been reported, particularly targeting U.S. forces and installations.
Iran and its allied armed groups in Iraq are expected to welcome the withdrawal of American troops.
Beginning Wednesday, the day the U.S. military is expected to leave, Iraq plans to hold a four-day celebration to mark what has been described as “Independence Day.”
