Reuters reports that the U.S. is set to complete its military withdrawal from Iraq by Wednesday, closing a 23-year chapter that began with the 2003 invasion and later shifted to the fight against ISIS.
Iran-aligned factions are celebrating the departure as a strategic victory. Reuters quoted Abu Mojtaba al-Yasiri, a commander with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, calling it “a historic victory” and “a crushing defeat for the American project.”
But the exit is also stirring concern inside Iraq. Security officials cited by Reuters warned that the loss of U.S. intelligence, logistics and surveillance could give both Iran-backed armed groups and ISIS more room to operate.
About 4,500 Americans have died in Iraq since 2003. Reuters says the last U.S. soldier killed there died in July during the controlled detonation of a drone near Erbil. Seven of the 18 U.S. service members killed in this year’s war with Iran died in Iraq.
Live update published by Eastora News




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