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The United States military is set to exit Iraq by the end of September, bringing an end to a 23-year military deployment that began with the 2003 invasion to depose Saddam Hussein and subsequently shifted towards operations targeting the Islamic State (IS) group, American and Iraqi officials announced.
Addressing a joint press briefing alongside Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi at the White House on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump stated that Washington no longer considers a military presence in Iraq to be essential. Speaking through an interpreter, Al-Zaidi confirmed the timeline, noting that all American troops will depart by September 30, whereas US companies will maintain operations within the country. "We don't think we need the military there anymore," Trump stated, highlighting Iraq's expanding commercial relations with American petroleum firms. "The relationship is a whole big relationship where we don't need the military. We're there to help them. We're there to protect them if need be. But we don't think that's going to be necessary," the US President added. Reiterating the joint announcement, Al-Zaidi stated, "US forces will be out of Iraq by September 30, while US companies will be inside Iraq." The Pentagon subsequently stated that the upcoming troop departure serves to reaffirm a 2024 accord finalised with Baghdad to bring the US-led mission against the Islamic State to a close. A significant portion of the American personnel stationed in Iraq when the pact was formalised during the Biden administration has already exited the country. Historically, the US launched its invasion of Iraq in March 2003, operating under assertions that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction, claims that were ultimately never verified. At the height of the hostilities in 2007, the deployment peaked with more than 170,000 American service members stationed in the country. The majority of combat units withdrew in 2011 following a pact negotiated during the Obama administration, leaving a restricted contingent tasked with security cooperation and the protection of the diplomatic mission. However, American forces returned to Iraq in 2014 following an invitation from Baghdad after the Islamic State captured substantial territories across both Iraq and Syria. The objective of the deployment centred on providing training and logistical assistance to Iraqi forces combating the militant group. Even though the Islamic State lost its territorial hold by 2021, approximately 2,500 American troops remained in Iraq to handle training duties and collaborative counterterrorism operations until the 2024 pullout pact was reached. Following that agreement, personnel numbers have been heavily scaled down, leaving only a minor advisory unit on the ground. The scheduled September departure will officially terminate the American military mission in Iraq under the terms of the 2024 agreement, bringing to a close a period that commenced with the 2003 military campaign and later transitioned into training and counterterrorism assistance. (ANI)
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