US Government To End Combat Mission In Iraq By Year-End

After years of solid presence in Iraq, the US government has come to conclusion with the Iraqi Prime Minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, to formally end the combat mission of the US troops in the Arab nation by the end of 2021. 

The President of the United States Joe Biden and the Iraqui PM Kadhimi sealed the agreement on July 26 which announced the end of the US combat mission in Iraq and the only way American troops will be a part of the country is through operational modes in an advisory role. 

This might be a boon for the country as far as trade or business is concerned but there might be some complications when security is kept in mind. The Iraqi PM has long been handling the pressure by neighboring countries, especially Iran, who are completely against the American presence in Iraq or any war-troubled country. 

The two leaders met and discussed future possibilities with Kadhimi ensuring Biden of full support in regards to the matter concerning security of the region. After concluding the meeting, Biden addressed the media saying, “Our role in Iraq will be ... to be available, to continue to train, to assist, to help and to deal with ISIS as it arises, but we're not going to be, by the end of the year, in a combat mission.”

Given the delicate situation in the country as well as the region, it was only fair of the US to not completely retrieve itself from Iraqi matters but slowly start the process so that the Iraqi administration does not come under immediate threat. As far as the terrorism situation is concerned, there is a lot of improvement required in the country and it also needs to tackle its internal matters. 

As of now, there are 2,500 US troops in Iraq. The troops are stationed in the country to counter the remaining groups or tunnels of the Islamic State. Now the US will not carry forward its active role in the military rather will shift towards training and advising the Iraqi military to defend itself. 

This is after the US had already announced withdrawal from Afghanistan under the Biden leadership. The move seems to indicate the complete withdrawal that the US administration is aiming for in the coming years from this region. The US mission in Afghanistan will be wrapped up before the end of August. 

The US recognizes its presence in these two countries for over two decades having been started by former president George W. Bush. America had officially landed in Iraq in 2003 after claims of then-leader Saddam Hussein possessing weapons of mass destruction. Since then, even if Hussein was ousted from power, terrorism never left the Iraqi land entirely. From militant groups to the ISIS attacks, the country had witnessed the worst of violence forcing the American troops to stay back. 

With this, Biden also hoped for clear and fair elections has already pledged $5.2 million to help fund a U.N. mission to monitor October elections in Iraq." We're looking forward to seeing an election in October," asserted Biden.