The gradual withdrawal of US troops seemed imminent in recent months, but new leadership and ongoing regional conflicts may change plans.
Military vehicles of US soldiers are seen at Ain al-Asad air base in Anbar province, Iraq, January 13, 2020. / Photo: Reuters
While no one has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, experts believe it is natural for suspicions to fall on Iran-backed Shia militia groups, which are eager for the US military to leave Iraq. "It's a form of carrot-and-stick approach used by the Sudani government for its own domestic agenda," Howard said, adding that the attacks, which targeted only a gas station and commercial centre rather than directly hitting the air base, suggest an attempt to avoid American casualties, unlike the attack in January.
This marked the second American invasion of Iraq. The first began in 2003, two years after the historic 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers, under the pretext that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction. Since 2021 when the US announced that it ended its combat mission in Iraq, there are only 2,500 American personnel left there with the aim of training and advising the Iraqi army.
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