The Pentagon has finalized plans to end the U.S.-led mission to fight ISIS by next year as many U.S. troops withdraw from the bases they have occupied for much of the past two decades.
The Biden administration has insisted that the plan is not a complete withdrawal, but declined to say how many of the 2,500 troops currently in Iraq would remain.
“I think it's fair to say that our footprint domestically is changing,” Sabrina Singh, a deputy Pentagon spokeswoman, told reporters Friday.
The Iraqi government announced earlier this month that it had reached an agreement with the Biden administration to withdraw most U.S. troops from the country over the next two years.
There are currently approximately 2,500 US troops stationed in Iraq. (Iman Henna)
U.S. officials have disputed that the plan constitutes a withdrawal, creating confusion about what the U.S. presence will look like in the coming months.
“I want to emphasize that this is an evolution of the military mission in Iraq,” a senior Biden administration official said.
The current mission is scheduled to end by September 2025.
The idea of withdrawing troops from Iraq has raised concerns that there is a lack of support for the 900 troops currently stationed in Syria.
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“It not only undermines the fight against ISIS, but more importantly, the forces of Iraq, especially those in the Kurdish north, are extremely important in the effort to rein in Iran. The forces in northeastern Syria We need the Iraqi military to help,” Ambassador James Jeffrey, a former special presidential envoy for the coalition fighting ISIS in Iraq, told FOX News Digital.
“We have a very effective ally in the Kurds, the Syrian Kurds, and we don't want to abandon that,” he continued, adding that if the U.S. withdraws, Russia and Iran will gain control of the country. He added that there will be room to strengthen the
“At the end of the day, it's the Iraqi government's decision, and if the Iraqi government is under pressure from Iran and wants to force us out, as it was in 2011, we have no choice. there is no.”
U.S. Army soldiers train at Al Asad Air Base in western Iraq. (Source: US Army)
Tehran and its influence have penetrated the Iraqi government in ways that some say the U.S. presence indirectly benefits Iran.
“The current Iraqi government is heavily influenced by Iranian-backed Shia forces, including the Popular Mobilization Front, and maintaining U.S. forces will not effectively balance Iran.In fact, our resources are indirectly “This is a misguided strategy that will benefit those who are aligned with Iran's interests,” said Jason Beardsley, director of Concerned American Veterans and an Iraq war veteran. He told FOX News Digital.
“ISIS may be difficult, but it is a challenge that the Iraqi government must deal with on its own.”
Harrowing footage shows US troops being fired upon
Baghdad and Washington have “reached an understanding” that U.S. forces in Syria will be supported by a presence on the Iraqi side of the border until at least September 2026.
Over the weekend, U.S. Central Command announced that Syrian forces carried out two targeted attacks in Syria, killing 37 terrorists, including leaders of ISIS and al-Qaeda affiliate Huras al-Din.
Soldiers supporting Operation Inherent Resolve stand in formation and salute the U.S. flag during a Memorial Day ceremony at Union III in Baghdad, Iraq, May 27, 2024. (US military)
Since war broke out between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip nearly a year ago, U.S. forces in Iraq, Syria and Jordan have faced increased attacks.
In January, a drone attack on a US military base in Jordan supporting operations in Syria killed three US soldiers.
In response, the U.S. military has been conducting regular airstrikes near Baghdad and other areas since July, drawing fierce criticism from the Iraqi people.
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Last month, seven U.S. soldiers were injured in an operation targeting ISIS in western Iraq.
At the same time, troops are planning to leave Iraq and there is a growing U.S. military presence in other parts of the Middle East. U.S. officials announced Monday that they would add “several thousand” more troops to the roughly 40,000 military personnel deployed to the region.
