The US military is set to complete its withdrawal from remaining bases in Iraq on Wednesday under a deal signed with Baghdad in 2024, according to Dave DeCamp at Antiwar.com. Al Jazeera reported from Camp Victory in Baghdad on Tuesday that the last US military personnel there have left.
What ends—and what may stay
Antiwar.com reports the US is officially ending the anti-ISIS coalition mission that began in 2014, when US forces redeployed after the 2011 withdrawal. In recent months, the US kept only a few hundred troops in Iraq’s northern Kurdistan region and maintained a small presence at Camp Victory in Baghdad, per the same report. The outlet adds that the US will likely retain Marines or other personnel to guard its embassy in Baghdad—the largest US diplomatic facility in the world—though it is unclear if that presence would exceed a typical embassy security contingent.
Militias declare victory
Antiwar.com notes that a coalition of Iraqi Shia militias known as the Islamic Resistance of Iraq (IRI), which includes some groups from the state-backed Popular Mobilization Forces, has celebrated the withdrawal. Reuters quoted IRI commander Abu Mojtaba al-Yasiri calling it “a historic victory for the Iraqi Islamic resistance groups and honorable Iraqis, and a crushing defeat for the American project.” He also said, “On September 30, we will celebrate the turning of a black page in Iraq’s history and the failure of the occupation to impose its will on our country.”
The leverage that remains
While bases are being vacated, Washington retains significant financial leverage, Antiwar.com reports. Iraq’s oil revenues—about 90% of the government’s budget, per the same outlet—are deposited into an account belonging to Iraq’s central bank at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, a setup Antiwar.com says gives the US substantial influence over Baghdad’s access to dollars.
Unclear details need verification
Antiwar.com describes an ongoing shift from an anti-ISIS mission to a “bilateral security partnership,” while also reporting that a full withdrawal from bases is proceeding. Some timeline and leadership details in the piece require independent confirmation.
