American Military Pullout from Iraq Ends Two Decades of Presence

American troops are vacating their final military outposts in Iraq, bringing an end to more than twenty years of continuous armed presence in the country. The final evacuation concludes a plan agreed upon in 2024 under the administration of then-President Joe Biden and executed under Donald Trump. During the long conflict that began with the 2003 invasion to remove dictator Saddam Hussein, about 4,500 American service members lost their lives. ## Regional Impact and Reactions Security experts point out that the departure creates a power vacuum that benefits Tehran and its local allies. Jasim al-Bahadli, an Iraqi security analyst, notes that the exit removes a major military check on Iranian reach inside the country. Meanwhile, Abu Mojtaba al-Yasiri, a commander with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, calls the event a historic win for local resistance factions and a major defeat for American policy. While ordinary citizens generally support the departure, figures like Sunni tribal leader Abdulrahman al-Zobaie in Fallujah express worry that local forces are not yet fully prepared to manage national security alone. ## Security Concerns and Islamic State Regional commanders warn that the exit also opens the door for Islamic State fighters to rebuild their network. Kurdish commander Sirwan Barzani reports seeing increased activity from sleeper cells after the departure schedule became public. Security officials in towns like Kirkuk note that militants are actively trying to launch suicide attacks to show their continued strength. American forces previously returned to the country in 2014 to help defeat the militant group after their territorial caliphate collapsed. ## Context Iraq has spent recent years balancing close ties with both the United States and Iran, often acting as a shared arena for regional tensions. The long history of foreign intervention has left local security forces heavily reliant on outside logistical help and intelligence sharing. Observers note that transitions of this scale often test the limits of domestic armed forces in managing internal stability without external backing.