The Pentagon announced on Wednesday that it has formally completed its withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, two years after the withdrawal was agreed to and 12 years since the US mission to fight the Islamic State started, The Guardian reports.
After the announcement, Iran and its allies celebrated the departure as a victory, while Iraqi security experts worry that the withdrawal could give the Islamic State and others a chance to recover.
“Today, the United States and our Coalition partners formally concluded Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq,” the Pentagon said in a statement, adding that the departure of its forces “marks the successful conclusion of the military mission that defeated ISIS in Iraq”.
The Pentagon noted it will continue to provide training and intelligence support to Iraq “to ensure ISIS can never reconstitute from Iraqi territory”.
“The primary responsibility for addressing Iraq’s remaining security challenges, including ISIS remnants and Iran-aligned militias that undermine Iraqi sovereignty and regional stability, now rests with the Government of Iraq.”
The US invaded Iraq in 2003 to oust its dictator, Saddam Hussein, who ruled the country for nearly 24 years.
The invasion would lead to hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths, civil war and sectarian violence in Iraq, as well as the rise of the Islamic State militant group.
