&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "US troops end Iraq presence after two decades; Iran sees strategic gain")
US forces are set to leave their remaining bases in Iraq by Wednesday, bringing an end to their military presence in the country after more than two decades. Iran and its allies have described the withdrawal as a victory, while Iraqi officials have raised concerns about the possible security consequences.
The departure could strengthen Iran's position in Iraq and give other US adversaries, including Islamic State, an opportunity to rebuild their presence, Iraqi security experts said.
Jasim al-Bahadli, an Iraqi security analyst specialising in armed Shi'ite groups linked to Iran, said Tehran could gain from the end of the US military presence.
"Iran stands to benefit strategically from the coalition's departure because it removes a military presence that for years acted as a counterweight to Tehran's influence in Iraq," he was quoted as saying by Reuters.
The withdrawal was agreed in 2024 under then-US President Joe Biden. Donald Trump's administration is now carrying it out even as the United States is fighting a war against Iran. Around 4,500 Americans died during more than two decades of US military involvement in Iraq.
From Saddam's fall to the fight against Islamic State
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The United States, with its allies, invaded Iraq in 2003 in the wake of the 9/11 attacks in New York to remove Saddam Hussein. US forces occupied the country, helped establish a Shi'ite-led government and fought a long counterinsurgency campaign.
American troops left Iraq at the end of 2011. However, they returned less than three years later after Islamic State captured large areas of the country. US forces then helped Iraqi troops fight the group between 2014 and 2017.
Islamic State once controlled around a third of Iraq and killed thousands of people. Hundreds were also filmed being shot at a former base used by the US military.
The Iraq War cost the United States heavily in terms of lives. Around twice as many Americans died in “Operation Iraqi Freedom” as in the parallel war in Afghanistan, which ended with the US withdrawal in 2021.
Washington's military presence also brought it into conflict with Tehran and Iran-backed groups. In 2020, the United States killed senior Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani in a strike at Baghdad Airport.
Islamic State sleeper cells raise concerns
Iraqi security officials have warned that the US departure could create an opening for Islamic State. Officials from Iraq's federal government and the semi-autonomous Kurdish region said the group continues to maintain sleeper cells despite losing its self-declared caliphate nearly a decade ago.
Iraqi security forces also said a suspected Islamic State cell was preparing suicide attacks to coincide with the withdrawal.
Iran has presented the US departure as a victory for its “axis of resistance”, made up of allied armed groups across the region. Tehran has repeatedly demanded that US forces leave the Middle East and that American bases in Gulf countries be closed.
During the ongoing war, Iran has launched missile and drone attacks on US bases in these countries, causing significant damage and destroying American military equipment.
