The United States ends the Iraq chapter

A meeting took place in Washington between United States President Donald Trump and the new Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed al-Zaidi. On Tuesday, 14 July, in the White House Oval Office, the politicians announced the withdrawal of the last American soldiers from Iraqi soil. „We don’t think we need the troops there anymore,” President Trump stated.

As both leaders emphasised, the end of the U.S. Army’s stationing is not necessarily linked to a severance of bilateral relations or a complete withdrawal of American industry from Iraq. Furthermore, Prime Minister al-Zaidi officially urged the Americans to ensure continued investment by United States companies in his country.

Time will tell whether this invitation will receive a positive response from the USA. This will certainly be influenced by the level of political stability in Iraq. For now, it is known that US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth has presented his expectations in this regard to the Iraqi Prime Minister. On Tuesday, the Pentagon chief said that the authorities in Baghdad must affirm their sovereignty and ensure the disarmament of Iran-linked militias. Without meeting these expectations, it is difficult to anticipate breakthrough US decisions that could significantly impact the reconstruction of Iraq.

23 Years of Presence

The latest declaration by President Trump and Prime Minister al-Zaidi announcing the withdrawal of the last American troops from Iraq could end a saga lasting nearly a quarter of a century. The American invasion of Iraq began in 2003 during George W. Bush’s presidency. The official reason for the US initiating the conflict was the desire to topple Saddam Hussein’s regime and to halt alleged work on the creation of weapons of mass destruction. The highest number of American troops in Iraq was recorded in 2007, when there were 170,000 U.S. Army soldiers stationed there. During Barack Obama’s presidency (2009–2017), a decision was made to withdraw most American forces. This decision was implemented at the end of 2011.

A partial return of US troops took place in 2014 when the Americans became involved in Operation Inherent Resolve, aimed at the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Ten years later, an agreement was reached to end the mission to combat ISIS in these areas, and the remaining few American units were stationed only at the air base in Erbil in northern Iraq and were responsible for the protection of diplomatic missions in Baghdad.

The toll of the conflict

As a result of the Iraq War, nearly 4,500 American soldiers lost their lives. More than 30,000 were wounded. Estimates regarding war expenditure are highly divergent. According to some data, the war in Iraq cost the United States over one trillion dollars (approx. €915 billion). Recent data cited by NBC News show that the ongoing conflict between the US and Iran and Operation Epic Fury have cost the American taxpayer approximately $100 billion.