American military completes withdrawal from Iraq after twenty years

US forces have left their final bases in Iraq, completing a military withdrawal that began under President Biden and finished under President Trump. The two countries agreed the pullout in 2024. American troops first entered Iraq in 2003, and around 4,500 Americans died during more than twenty years of military presence there. Iran and its allied groups have called the withdrawal a victory. Iraqi security forces also warned that an Islamic State cell was planning suicide attacks timed to the pullout. Iraq now faces serious security challenges. Iran has built strong political and economic ties in the country since 2003, and the withdrawal removes a major American counterbalance to that influence. Iraqi forces must also continue to deal with Islamic State fighters who remain active in parts of the country.