The Lingering Military Presence: Examining The Continued Deployment In Iraq And Afghanistan

Twenty years after the U.S. invaded Iraq, American forces remain in the country. The U.S. ended its combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan in December 2021, but troops remain in both countries to advise, train, and assist local security forces. As of March 2023, there were approximately 2,500 U.S. troops in Iraq, deployed mainly in Baghdad and the north of the country. The U.S. presence in Iraq has been a source of tension, with the Iraqi parliament voting for the removal of foreign troops in January 2020. However, the U.S. has resisted calls for a complete withdrawal, citing the need to counter the threat of the Islamic State and Iran-backed militias.

The US ended its combat mission in Iraq in December 2021

The US combat mission in Iraq ended on December 9, 2021, with 2,500 troops remaining in the country. The remaining troops were to serve in advisory, assistance, and training roles, with a focus on helping Iraqi forces fight the remnants of the Islamic State. This decision was made by US President Joe Biden in July 2021, following discussions with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.

The US first invaded Iraq in 2003, and the number of troops in the country peaked at around 170,000 in 2007. The US withdrew its troops in 2011 but returned in 2014 to combat the Islamic State, also known as Daesh, which had taken control of large parts of northern Iraq. Since the Iraqi government declared victory over the Islamic State in 2017, troop numbers have decreased.

The decision to end the combat mission was made to relieve pressure on al-Kadhimi, who had to balance ties with the US and Iran to keep his position. Iranian-backed militias, known as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), had been calling for a full US withdrawal and were suspected of being behind ongoing drone and rocket attacks on US bases. The end of the combat mission was also seen as a political victory for the Iraqi government, which passed a non-binding measure to expel all foreign troops from the country in January 2020.

While the number of troops remained the same, the transition to an advisory mission signalled a shift in the US's role in Iraq. US troops had already been serving as advisers and trainers to Iraqi forces since mid-2020 and had stopped directly engaging in combat operations. The remaining troops will continue to assist with airstrikes, intelligence, and equipment maintenance.

The US has kept around 2,500 troops in Iraq since 2020, with most serving in advisory and training roles. In addition to the troops, there are about 4,500 Department of Defense contractors and 1,000 soldiers from other coalition countries in Iraq.

US troops remain in Iraq to advise, train and assist Iraqi security forces

The US ended its combat mission in Iraq in December 2021, leaving 2,500 troops in the country to advise, train, and assist Iraqi security forces. The decision to withdraw US combat troops from Iraq was announced by President Joe Biden in July 2021 following a series of strategic dialogues between the US administration and the Iraqi government.

US troops in Iraq are now in a non-combat role, providing air support and other military aid for Iraq's fight against the Islamic State. The US military's 2,500 troops made the transition to a non-combat role ahead of its December 31 deadline and will remain in Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi government.

Marine General Frank McKenzie, the top US commander for the Middle East, said in an interview that Iranian-backed militias want all Western forces out of Iraq, and that an uptick in violence may continue through December. He also said that the US presence in Iraq has long been a flashpoint for Tehran, but tensions spiked after a January 2020 US drone strike near the Baghdad airport killed a top Iranian general.

The US-led coalition provided extensive support to the Iraqi Security Forces via training, intelligence, and personnel. The total cost of coalition support to the ISF, excluding direct military operations, was officially announced at $3.5 billion by March 2019. 189,000 Iraqi soldiers and police officers received training from coalition forces.

The US still has around 2,500 troops in Iraq

The US first invaded Iraq in March 2003, in what was known as a "shock and awe" bombing campaign. The invasion was based on the flawed claim that Saddam Hussein had secretly stashed weapons of mass destruction. Hussein was toppled from power, and America's war shifted the country's governing base from minority Arab Sunnis to majority Shiites, with Kurds gaining their own autonomous region.

The US withdrew its troops from Iraq in December 2011, but re-intervened in June 2014 at the invitation of the Iraqi government due to the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The US-led coalition's combat mission in Iraq concluded in December 2021, but US troops remain in Iraq to advise, train, and assist Iraqi security forces against the ongoing ISIL insurgency, including providing air support and military aid.

The continued US troop presence in Iraq is justified by the need to help Iraq battle the remnants of the Islamic State insurgency and prevent any resurgence. Another key reason for the continued presence is Iran. Iran’s political influence and militia strength in Iraq and throughout the region have been a recurring security concern for the US. The presence of American forces in Iraq makes it more difficult for Iran to move weapons across Iraq and Syria into Lebanon, for use by its proxies, including Hezbollah, against Israel.

The US invaded Iraq in March 2003

On 20 March 2003, the United States, along with coalition forces primarily from the United Kingdom, initiated war on Iraq. The invasion was led by US Army General Tommy Franks, under the code-name Operation Iraqi Freedom. The invasion was based on the specious claim that Iraq, under dictator Saddam Hussein, possessed or was in the process of building weapons of mass destruction.

The invasion was a quick and decisive operation encountering major resistance, though not what the US, British and other forces expected. The Iraqi regime had prepared to fight both a conventional and irregular, asymmetric warfare at the same time, conceding territory when faced with superior conventional forces, largely armored, but launching smaller-scale attacks in the rear using fighters dressed in civilian and paramilitary clothes.

The invasion phase of the war (19 March – 30 April), an estimated 9,200 Iraqi combatants were killed by coalition forces along with an estimated 3,750 non-combatants, i.e. civilians who did not take up arms. Coalition forces reported the death in combat of 139 US military personnel and 33 UK military personnel.

The invasion led to the collapse of the Iraqi government and capture of Iraq's major cities in just three weeks. The oil infrastructure of Iraq was rapidly seized and secured with limited damage in that time. The invasion was followed by a longer second phase in which a U.S.-led occupation of Iraq was opposed by an insurgency.

The US has been involved in Iraq for 20 years

In March 2003, the US invaded Iraq in what it called a "shock and awe" bombing campaign. The invasion was based on what turned out to be faulty claims that Saddam Hussein had secretly stashed weapons of mass destruction. Such weapons never materialised.

Saddam Hussein was toppled from power, and America's war shifted the country's governing base from minority Arab Sunnis to majority Shiites, with Kurds gaining their own autonomous region. While many Iraqis welcomed Saddam's ouster, they were disappointed when the government failed to restore basic services, and the ongoing battles instead brought vast humanitarian suffering.

Resentment and power struggles between the Shiites and Sunnis fuelled civil war, ultimately leading to America's complete withdrawal in December 2011. The divide was a key factor in the collapse of the nation's police and military forces when faced with the Islamic State insurgency that swept across Iraq and Syria in 2014.

The rise of the Islamic State group and its expanding threat to the US and its allies across Europe sent the US back into Iraq at the invitation of the Baghdad government in 2014. Over that summer and fall, the US-led coalition launched airstrike campaigns in Iraq and then Syria, and restarted a broad effort to train and advise Iraq's military.

The coalition's train and advise mission has continued, bolstered by a NATO contingent, even after the Islamic State group's campaign to create a caliphate was ended in March 2019.

The roughly 2,500 troops deployed to Iraq live on joint bases with Iraqi troops, where they provide training and equipment. That troop total, however, fluctuates, and the Pentagon does not reveal the number of US special operations forces that routinely move in and out of the country to assist Iraqi forces or travel into Syria for counterterrorism operations.

The much-stated reason for the continued US troop presence is to help Iraq battle the remnants of the Islamic State insurgency and prevent any resurgence. But a key reason is Iran. Iran's political influence and militia strength in Iraq and throughout the region has been a recurring security concern for the US over the years. The presence of American forces in Iraq makes it more difficult for Iran to move weapons across Iraq and Syria into Lebanon, for use by its proxies, including the Lebanese Hezbollah, against Israel.

The US formally concluded its combat mission in Iraq on 9 December 2021, leaving the 2,500 troops remaining in the country to serve as trainers and advisors to the Iraqi security forces.

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