23 years after invasion, U.S. troops pull out of Iraq; Iran’s influence stays, Pg14

Key Highlights:

• U.S. forces completed their withdrawal from Iraq on September 30, 23 years after the 2003 invasion.
• The withdrawal marks the end of U.S. combat operations, leaving a divided Iraqi government and powerful Iran-backed Shia militias.
• The invasion was launched by then-President George W. Bush on May 1, 2003, under the pretext of Weapons of Mass Destruction and al-Qaeda links.
• The U.S. spent approximately $1.7 trillion and lost 4,500 troops during its presence in Iraq.
• The withdrawal is seen as a victory by Iran and its allied militias, potentially increasing Iran's regional influence.

Detailed Insights:

• President George W. Bush declared "Mission Accomplished" on May 1, 2003, aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, though major combat continued.
• The claims of Weapons of Mass Destruction and al-Qaeda presence in Iraq were later found to be false.
• The U.S. invasion inadvertently led to the rise of Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), which later transformed into ISIS.
• Iraq experienced a deadly sectarian civil war between Shia and Sunni factions post-invasion.
• Iran leveraged historical ties with Iraqi Shia parties, expanding its influence significantly after the fall of Saddam Hussein.
• Former President Barack Obama had previously ended combat operations in 2011, but troops returned to fight ISIS.
• Prior to the final withdrawal, approximately 2,500 U.S. troops were stationed primarily in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan.
• Popular Mobilisation Units (Hashad al-Shabi), Iran-backed Shia militias, intensified attacks on U.S. forces, influencing the withdrawal decision.
• The killing of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Qassem Soleimani in 2020 was a significant event involving these militias.
• The U.S. withdrawal is expected to shift the regional power balance further in Iran's favor.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD): Nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons capable of causing widespread death and destruction.
• Axis of Evil: Term coined by George W. Bush to describe countries like Iraq, Iran, and North Korea, accused of sponsoring terrorism and seeking WMDs.
• Popular Mobilisation Units (Hashad al-Shabi): An umbrella organization of mostly Shia paramilitary groups formed in Iraq in 2014.
• Sectarian Violence: Conflict between different sects within a religion, such as Shia and Sunni Muslims in Iraq.