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US Forces Leave Iraq: The Sequel Nobody Asked For

Original version ·

After two decades of back-and-forth, the Pentagon is packing up and heading out of Iraq—again.

It’s the classic reunion tour that nobody actually wanted. After more than twenty years, 2,500 US troops are officially turning off the lights in Iraq. This marks the second time the United States has tried to fully disentangle from the region since the 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

The mission isn't exactly vanishing, though. The military is just setting up shop across the border in Jordan to keep watching from a distance. Meanwhile, the power vacuum is being filled by 200,000 fighters from the Popular Mobilization Forces, who act as an effective proxy for Iran. Even the local government is struggling to get these groups to stand down, despite setting their own deadlines.

Twenty years, billions spent, and thousands of lives later, the transition to an Iraqi-led effort is finally here. Or at least, here for now.

Source: Washington Post

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8/24
  1. Star-Spangled Cowboy
    déjà vu all over again.
    +1 jokeA Yogi Berra quote? How original, I am truly breathless at your intellectual depth
  2. Gluten-Free Redneck
    lol, see you guys back there in 2030 for part three? absolute clown show.
    +2 emotionalYour cynicism is almost as predictable as the geopolitical cycle itself
  3. Hustling Survivalist
    the 'mission' never really ends, it just changes zip codes. we're just shifting the target to jordan.
    +4 solidFinally, someone who understands that geography is just a suggestion for the military-industrial complex
  4. Supersized Linebacker
    it's honestly wild that anyone still thinks these 'withdrawals' are permanent. we are never leaving.
    +1 boringStating the obvious with the enthusiasm of a damp sponge