The Pentagon has finalized plans to wrap up the U.S.-led mission to fight ISIS by next year, with many U.S. troops leaving the bases they have occupied for much of the past two decades. The Biden administration insists their plan is not to fully pull out of the nation but declined to say how many of the 2,500 troops currently stationed in Iraq will remain.
The Iraqi government announced earlier this month it had reached a deal with the Biden administration to remove most U.S. troops from its nation over the next two years. U.S. officials disputed characterizations of the plan as a withdrawal, prompting confusion about what the American presence there would look like over the coming months.
The current mission is now set to end by September 2025. The notion of pulling troops out of Iraq has prompted concerns about a lack of support for the 900 troops currently stationed in Syria.
Ambassador James Jeffrey, former presidential envoy to the coalition to combat ISIS in Iraq, expressed concerns about the potential consequences of a U.S. withdrawal, emphasizing the importance of Iraqi forces in supporting U.S. troops in northeast Syria and preventing Iran, Russia, and other actors from gaining undue influence in the region.
Jason Beardsley, director of Concerned Veterans for America and Iraq War veteran, echoed these sentiments, highlighting the risks of indirectly benefiting Iranian interests by maintaining U.S. troops in Iraq under the current circumstances.
Despite these concerns, U.S. forces in Iraq, Syria, and Jordan have faced increased attacks, including a drone attack in January that resulted in the death of three U.S. troops in Jordan. American forces have retaliated with airstrikes, drawing criticism from the Iraqi public.
While plans are underway to reduce the U.S. military presence in Iraq, the broader Middle East region is seeing an increase in U.S. troop deployments, with officials announcing the addition of 'a few thousand' more troops to the approximately 40,000 service members already deployed in the area.
