January 6, 2024—As Israel and Hamas continue battling in Gaza, the conflict is having a destabilizing impact on the wider region. It is impacting Iraq and Syria, where the U.S. military has forces, as well as Lebanon, Yemen, Iran, and shipping in the Red Sea.
This week Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani is making it clear to the U.S. government that he is ready for the 2,500 U.S. troops stationed there to go home.
The government started “setting the date for the start of the bilateral committee to put arrangements to end the presence of the international coalition forces in Iraq permanently,” the prime minister’s office said on Friday, according to a Reuters news report.
“We stress our firm position in ending the existence of the international coalition after the justifications for its existence have ended,” Sudani said.
U.S. Strike Kills Iraqi Security Official
The announcement came a day after the U.S. military killed a leader of a militia group in Baghdad using a precision strike on his vehicle. The leader killed was Mushtaq Jawad Kazim al-Jawari, also known as Abu Taqwa, according to Air and Space Forces Magazine.
Iraq reportedly considers the Iranian-aligned militia group to be a legitimate part of its security forces.
U.S. Forces in Iraq
Iraq said the use of force by the U.S. forces broke an agreement it has with the U.S. government. U.S. troops are reportedly there to mentor Iraqi forces as they battle remnants of Daesh. But, Justin Logan of the Cato Institute suggests that U.S. forces are primarily there to counter Iran’s growing regional influence. He argued recently that U.S. forces are sitting ducks in the Middle East.
Under Fire Since October 7
Since the Israel-Gaza conflict started, U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria have come under fire. The U.S. strike on January 4 came in response to retaliatory attacks against U.S. forces by Iranian-aligned militia based in Iraq. According to Reuters, Iraq’s leader has limited control over the Iran-backed factions in his country.
President Biden has denied that attacks on U.S. forces in the Middle East is in response to U.S. support for Israel in its war against the Palestinian people and Hamas. But it is clearly related.
An outcome of the 2003 U.S. war on Iraq is that Iran gained greater influence in the region, including a role in the Iraqi governing coalition.
