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The U.S. military is closing the Erbil base in Iraq's Kurdistan region and withdrawing from the country on the 30th (local time).
This comes 23 and a half years since the start of the Iraq War in 2003, and 12 years since U.S. forces were redeployed to Iraq in 2014.
The United States invaded Iraq in March 2003 to oust Saddam Hussein's regime and declared the end of major combat operations in May, but the withdrawal of troops was not completed until December 2011.
Subsequently, starting in June 2014, the U.S. re-stationed troops in Iraq to fight the Sunni extremist group Daesh (ISIS).
According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 29th, the day before the closure of the Erbil base, the U.S. has been moving equipment and personnel via flights to meet the withdrawal deadline.
The U.S. military has already withdrawn Patriot air defense batteries deployed around the base, and remaining air defense capabilities are expected to be concentrated on protecting the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and the Consulate in Erbil.
Current and former U.S. government officials told the WSJ that some Marines will remain to protect U.S. diplomatic missions, along with contractor personnel to maintain Iraq's F-16 fighter jets and U.S.-made tanks.
A senior U.S. government official told the WSJ that the U.S. has clearly urged Iraq on the importance of maintaining sovereignty over its territory and preventing Iran-backed militias from carrying out attacks from within Iraqi territory.
A Pentagon official said that while the U.S. is ending official military operations, it will maintain regional capabilities such as intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance that can be utilized in Iraq.
This withdrawal follows a schedule agreed upon two years ago during the Joe Biden administration with a cabinet led by then-Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.
The WSJ explained that "after spending 23 years and more than 1.7 trillion dollars (over 2,300 trillion won), the United States is concluding the Iraq War, which critics have called the 'forever war.'"
It also pointed out that as the war between the U.S. and Iran shows no signs of ending, the growing influence of heavily armed, Iran-backed militias within Iraq raises concerns that instability and crises in the country will further deepen.
Looking only at the first two months since the Iran war began in late February, armed groups and Iranian forces have attacked U.S. diplomatic and military facilities in Iraq more than 600 times.
The U.S. Embassy in Iraq has recently been issuing frequent security alerts to Americans.
Warnings regarding potential kidnappings by militias are issued about twice a week.
A U.S. government official stated that militias are also advancing their weaponry, recently using long-range missiles and drones in attacks.
Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia stated that the operation of its east-west crude oil pipeline was temporarily suspended due to drone attacks that appeared to have been launched from Iraqi territory near the Iranian border.
Another attack damaged a U.S. diplomatic and logistical hub at Baghdad Airport.
As a result, concerns are being raised within Iraq over whether a fallout similar to the one that followed the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan will ensue.
The U.S. officially ended the Afghanistan War and completed its withdrawal in August 2021 after 20 years, during which the Islamic fundamentalist militant group Taliban recaptured power.
Afghanistan subsequently saw the Taliban resume iron-fist rule based on religious law, and the power vacuum in the region degenerated into a breeding ground for extremist militant groups.
Earlier, when President Donald Trump met with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi at the White House in July, he expressed expectations for the disarmament of Iraqi militias.
President Trump said at the time, "We don't think we need troops there anymore," adding, "We have a great champion, a new champion."
Prime Minister al-Zaidi, who was praised as "young and handsome" by President Trump sitting beside him at the time, announced that a deadline of September 30 had been set for Iran-backed militias to return their weapons, but this plan has not been realized.
Prime Minister al-Zaidi, a businessman with a background owning banks, insurance companies, media outlets, and construction firms, had no prior public service experience before taking office in May of this year.
Iraqi military spokesperson Maj. Gen. Saad Maan told the WSJ that some armed factions have returned their weapons and that other groups have made plans to do so.
However, Kazem al-Fartousi, a spokesperson for Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, a paramilitary group designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S., said, "These weapons are for our sovereignty and freedom," and added that the government's forced disarmament attempt "will not happen."
The WSJ explained that his group and other militias occupy high-ranking government ministry positions, hold dozens of seats in the Iraqi parliament, and also played a role in forming Prime Minister al-Zaidi's government.
Prime Minister al-Zaidi and his aides are discussing pushing back the disarmament deadline, originally set for September 30, to next year.
Victoria Taylor, a former senior State Department official who handled Iraq issues before leaving public service earlier this year, told the WSJ that expecting al-Zaidi to disarm militias in a matter of months was an "impossible demand."
(Photo: Getty Images)
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