US Withdrawal from Iraq Leaves Region Vulnerable to Iranian Influence

Iraq is celebrating the complete withdrawal of U.S. forces from its territory for the first time since 2014, a move hailed as a historic victory by Iran-backed Shiite militias. This departure leaves the country vulnerable to security challenges and potentially strengthens Iranian influence.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump had sought to leverage the new Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaydi, a businessman like himself, to reduce Iran's sway. The plan involved al-Zaydi disarming pro-Iranian militias in exchange for U.S. economic investment. However, the militias demanded the complete withdrawal of U.S. troops, a condition previously agreed upon under the Biden administration, before they would disarm.

A compromise was reached to conduct both processes concurrently, with a deadline of September 30, 2026, initially set for the end of the international coalition's mission. However, the militias reportedly created obstacles, leading an Iraqi military spokesperson to state in early September that no definitive timeline existed for their disarmament.

Subsequently, Iraqi Prime Minister al-Zaydi met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the UN General Assembly. He presented a revised plan to regain control over weaponry and disarm militias by June 30, 2027, nine months after the original deadline. This means U.S. troops will be gone while Shiite militias, some of which have targeted Israel, will operate freely.

The article suggests that the Kurds in Iraq are the first to suffer from this withdrawal, as they did during the rise of ISIS. With U.S. air defense systems removed from Kurdistan, Iran has reportedly targeted Kurdish areas with drones and missiles, a situation that could worsen with the U.S. departure. The author questions how Trump allowed this to happen, especially given the precedent of ISIS forming after a previous U.S. withdrawal, while also noting that not all U.S. military presence might be known to the Iraqi government, citing a report of a secret Israeli base in Iraq.