US withdraws last remaining troops out of Iraq

A line of service members and civilian contractors walk to a C-130 aircraft to board their final flight out of Iraq at Ali Air Base on Contingency Operating Base Adder in 2011. (Photo by Spc. Anthony Zane)

WASHINGTON — The United States announced it has now withdrawn its remaining military forces from Iraq, marking the end to operations that began more than two decades ago.

The last of US forces and equipment departed from Erbil Air Base, completing the withdrawal agreed to by Washington and Baghdad in 2024, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced today in a statement.

“The primary responsibility for addressing Iraq’s remaining security challenges, including ISIS remnants and Iran-aligned militias that undermine Iraqi sovereignty and regional stability, now rests with the Government of Iraq,” Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said in a separate statement.

“The United States remains committed to counterterrorism and will continue to work with Iraq and our partners to ensure ISIS can never reconstitute from Iraqi territory,” he added.

In 2003, the Bush administration sent military forces storming into Iraq and towards Baghdad with unproven claims that Saddam Hussein’s government possessed weapons of mass destruction. While it only took three weeks for US forces to topple the Iraqi government, decades of sectarian violence and extremist uprisings ensued. The conflict also produced a series of scandals involving US forces, including abuses of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison.

While US forces did withdraw from the country in late 2011, they returned in 2014 to help fight against the Islamic State (ISIS). US troops have maintained a smaller presence in Iraq since then.

“As we step back and hand full primary responsibility for Iraq’s security to the Government of Iraq and the brave people of Iraq, US and Coalition forces stationed across the region will remain ready to respond to any ISIS threats that arise,” Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander, said in a press release.

Parnell added that the US expects Iraqi Security Forces “to lead the continuing effort to secure Iraq and keep ISIS remnants suppressed,” while the Defense Department will continue providing “targeted” training and intelligence support.

Today’s US withdrawal comes as Washington and Tehran remain at an impasse over a ceasefire to end their seven-month war, while Iran’s political interests and influence in Iraq remain strong.

2011年，在伊拉克阿德尔应急作战基地阿里空军基地，一队军人和文职承包商走向一架C-130运输机，准备搭乘他们离开伊拉克的最后一班飞机。（照片由下士安东尼·赞恩拍摄）

华盛顿——美国宣布已从伊拉克撤出剩余的军事力量，标志着这场始于二十多年前的军事行动的结束。

美国中央司令部（CENTCOM）今天在一份声明中宣布，最后一批美军部队和装备已撤离埃尔比勒空军基地，完成了华盛顿和巴格达在2024年达成的撤军协议。

五角大楼首席发言人肖恩·帕内尔在另一份声明中表示：“解决伊拉克剩余安全挑战（包括破坏伊拉克主权和地区稳定的ISIS残余势力和伊朗支持的民兵组织）的主要责任，现在落在了伊拉克政府身上。”

“美国仍然致力于反恐，并将继续与伊拉克和我们的伙伴合作，确保伊斯兰国永远无法在伊拉克领土上重建，”他补充道。

2003年，布什政府以萨达姆·侯赛因政府拥有大规模杀伤性武器为由，派遣军队入侵伊拉克，直逼巴格达。尽管美军仅用了三周时间就推翻了伊拉克政府，但随后却爆发了长达数十年的教派冲突和极端主义叛乱。这场冲突也引发了一系列涉及美军的丑闻，其中包括阿布格莱布监狱虐囚事件。

虽然美军在2011年底撤出了伊拉克，但他们在2014年重返伊拉克，协助打击伊斯兰国（ISIS）。此后，美军在伊拉克的驻军规模有所缩小。

“在我们逐步退出并将伊拉克安全的全部主要责任移交给伊拉克政府和勇敢的伊拉克人民之际，驻扎在该地区的美国和联军部队将随时准备应对任何出现的ISIS威胁，”中央司令部司令布拉德·库珀海军上将在新闻稿中表示。

帕内尔补充说，美国希望伊拉克安全部队“继续领导确保伊拉克安全并压制ISIS残余势力的努力”，而国防部将继续提供“有针对性的”训练和情报支持。

美国今日撤军之际，华盛顿和德黑兰在结束长达七个月的战争的停火问题上仍处于僵局，而伊朗在伊拉克​​的政治利益和影响力依然强大。