From 2007 to 2020: The failed US plans to leave Iraq

The United States has been planning to leave Iraq, removing its armed regulars, from the country.

After the butchering of the BATH regime of Saddam Hussein, the pro Saddam and Al-Qaeda factions started a deadly campaign.

In the meantime, they massacred American troops in Iraq.

But this did not motivate their desire to leave Iraq in 2007. They thought Iraq was safe after the killing of top Al-Qaeda men in Iraq.

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, born Ahmad Fadeel al-Nazal al-Khalayleh, was a Jordanian jihadist.

He died in Iraq’s village of Hibhib, located 8 km northwest of Baquba in northern Iraq.

2007 TROOP SURGE

The Americans saw the intense fights on Iraqi territory from Zarqawi’s forces. But they killed him in a U.S. military operation on June 7, 2006.

The U.S. generals then said his death would make it possible for the Americans to reduce their armed forces in Iraq.

On September 13, 2007, President George W. Bush announced that the 168,000 American troops in Iraq at that time would be reduced by 5,700.

Additional troops withdrawal was planned. This meant the U.S. wanted to leave 20 to 15 combat brigades by July 2008.

But in the January of that same year, there was a surge in U.S. troops in Iraq.

It was President Barack Obama who pulled out the last convoy of U.S. soldiers in Iraq.

For the White House, this ended nearly nine years of war. The cost is 4,500 American and tens of thousands of Iraqi lives.

Result: Iraq was left a country grappling with political uncertainty, until today.

OCCUPIED IRAQ

The war against Iraq was launched in March 2003 with missiles striking Baghdad. The aim was to remove Saddam from power. They did it and they hanged the Iraqi president for war crimes.

Yet, U.S. troops were always in Iraq, it is only the biggest portion that left. Iraq is still an occupied country.

The Iraqi government (whether it is a legit one or not) has urged the Americans to leave Iraq.

This came after he killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in Iraq. But U.S. President Donald Trump and the Pentagon say they will not remove all U.S. troops from Iraq.

This was in denial of Iraq premier Adel Abdel Mahdi statement he received a US letter signalling a pullout.

“At some point we want to get out, but this isn’t the right point,” Trump said. “It’s the worst thing that could happen to Iraq.”

“Our policy has not changed. We are not leaving Iraq,” Defense Secretary Mark Esper told reporters.