WASHINGTON – US President Joe Biden and Iraqi premier Mustafa al-KadhimiMonday sealed an agreement according to which the American forces willconclude their combat mission in Iraq by the end of the year.
The announcement depicts a major shift in US policy as it comes on theheels of the US decision to withdraw fully from war raged Afghanistannearly after 2 decades.
Together, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have heavily taxed the UnitedStates military and kept it from devoting more attention to a rising China,which the incumbent authorities termed as the biggest ‘long-term securitychallenge’.
At least 2,500 US troops are deployed in Iraq and officials declined to sayhow that number would change following the recent announcement of the USPresident.
US armed forces have played support roles in Iraq and in Syria, the originof the IS group that swept across the border back in 2014 and took overlarge swaths of Iraqi territory.
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A joint U.S.-Iraq statement said the security relationship will be focusedon training, advising, and intelligence-sharing. Joe Biden while commentingon the development said the US military will continue to assist the MiddleEast country in its fight against ISIS.
“Our shared fight against the militant group is critical for the stabilityof the region and our counterterrorism operation will continue, even as weshift to this new phase we’re going to be talking about. We’re not going tobe, by the end of the year, in a combat mission,” he added
A senior adviser to Concerned Veterans for America Dan Caldwell said UStroops will remain at risk. “Regardless of whether their deployment iscalled a combat mission, U.S. troops will remain under regular attack aslong as they remain in Iraq. The American military presence in Iraq is notnecessary for our safety and only risks the loss of more American life”, hesaid.
