Final US Troops Leave Iraq After Two Decades as Middle East Turmoil Continues
On Wednesday, the final contingent of US military forces departed Iraq, marking the conclusion of a presence that began with the invasion in 2003 aimed at ousting Saddam Hussein. Renad Mansour from Chatham House referred to this period as "the greatest adventure of US foreign policy in a generation." He expressed concerns over Iraq's lack of sovereignty, highlighting attacks by Iran-affiliated groups throughout the Gulf. The Iraqi government is noted for its high levels of corruption and poor human development, leading many citizens to regret the war, which claimed around 200,000 Iraqi lives and approximately 4,500 US military personnel. Mansour emphasized the ongoing regional conflicts and warned against simplistic views of US success and influence.
Key facts
- Final US military personnel left their bases in Iraq on Wednesday after more than two decades.
- The 2003 US invasion aimed to remove Saddam Hussein from power, leading to a yearslong occupation.
- US forces left in 2011 but returned three years later to help fight Islamic State.
- About 200,000 Iraqi deaths are estimated by the Iraq Body Count Project; the US lost around 4,500 service members.
- Renad Mansour is deputy director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme and director of the Iraq Initiative at Chatham House.
- The US embassy in Baghdad was America's largest embassy in the world.
- Iraq's government is constantly ranked among the worst for corruption and human development.
- Iran-linked armed groups can fire drones and rockets across the Gulf and into Saudi Arabia.
Entities
Artists
- Renad Mansour
- Saddam Hussein
- George Bush
Institutions
- Chatham House
- Monocle Radio
- The Globalist
- Iraq Body Count Project
- Pentagon
- US government
- Trump administration
- Islamic State
Locations
- Iraq
- Baghdad
- Iran
- Lebanon
- Yemen
- Gulf
- Israel
- Palestine
- Saudi Arabia
- Syria
- Beirut
- Afghanistan
- United States
- Texas
Sources
- Monocle —