In August, the news arrived that United States military forces and assets had been removed from Niger. Writing about this development, Iopinedon August 6 that “the US would be well served to start initiating the withdrawal of its military from many additional countries.” A month later, it looks like an agreement is in place for such a withdrawal from another country — Iraq.
AsreportedSaturday by Timour Azhari and Ahmed Rasheed at Reuters, multiple sources have confirmed the reaching of an agreement between the US and Iraq governments for the withdrawal of US and “coalition” military forces from Iraq by the end of 2026. This withdrawal has been long demanded by the Iraq government. Azhari and Rasheed, though, added this caveat: “The U.S. and Iraq are also seeking to establish a newadvisory relationshipthat could see some U.S. troops remain in Iraq after the drawdown.”
Iraq has been on the receiving end of US military subjugation efforts, aided by “coalition” governments, for decades. In 1991, the US military invaded Iraq in the Persian Gulf War. Though US military ground forces then withdrew from the country, US sanctions and bombings of the country brought continued death and destruction for about twelve years. Come 2003, The US military invaded Iraq again, this time overthrowing the national government and establishing an ongoing military presence that has varied in its size and the extent of its actions over the ensuing years.
Though there was much alarming talk from US government officials and people in media, at no time in this over thirty years of US military action against and occupation of Iraq did the Iraq government or the people of Iraq pose a threat to America and Americans. The US military actions against Iraq were about conquest and domination, not defense.
Hopefully, the US troops will vacate their military installations and leave Iraq. And, hopefully, we will hear soon about the same course being followed in other countries as well.
