US Troop Withdrawal from Iraq: A Strategic Victory for Iran-Backed Groups

Its troops are scheduled to return by Wednesday from the last US bases in Iraq. The withdrawal was scheduled for 2024 under the presidency of Joe Biden and is being carried out by the government of Donald Trump, while the United States is also fighting a war against Iran. Iran and its allies are calling it a victory. Security experts fear that Iran and its factions will have a free hand and that enemies of the United States, such as the Islamic State, may also return. 4,500 Americans were killed in more than two decades of war in Iraq. According to security analyst Jassim al-Bahdali, who studies Iran-backed Shiite groups, the coalition's departure is a strategic advantage for Iran, as it has been blocking Iran's influence in Iraq for years. Brave estimates that these groups will call it a victory and try to increase their interference in security and political decisions. Abu Mujtaba al-Yasiri, commander of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a group of Iran-backed groups, told Reuters on September 30 that they will not celebrate the resistance and defeat the American plan to blacklist Iraq's foreign forces.