US military to withdraw 2,200 troops from Iraq

US troops in Iraq. BBC/Reuters.

The US military will withdraw 2,200 troops from Iraq, leaving 3,000 troops in the country. BBC. President Trump reaffirmed his desire to completely pull troops out of the country last month and the new announcement will reduce the numbers in the country by 1/3rd. US generals praised Iraqi forces and their successes against ISIS, which is still a threat in the country. US troops withdrew from Iraq in 2011 but returned in 2014 after ISIS took over much of the country. Some Iraqi politicians have called for US forces to leave after the death of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani.

My Comment:

The slow draw down in Iraq continues. I think it is long past time for us to pull our troops out. ISIS is no longer a major threat and what little remains of the organization can be handled by the Iraqi forces. We will still have some troops left in the country but at this point they are only in a training role. 

Pulling troops out of Iraq will be a major accomplishment for President Trump. He promised an end to stupid wars and in the end Iraq ended up being a very stupid one. Not only did we not find major chemical weapon stockpiles, we caused a lot of chaos and destruction with very little to show for it. Ending the war will be another example of President Trump keeping his promise. 

Iraq itself has taken major steps with their military. Far from the army that collapsed in 2014, allowing ISIS to take over much of the country and still millions of dollars worth of US provided equipment, the Iraqi Army is now a tested and powerful force. They have been well trained and battle proven and can more than hold their own against ISIS. 

ISIS itself is mostly gone. Their leadership is dead and so are the vast majority of their fighters. Their survivors now operate underground and are no longer the army and state that they once were. They are no longer a major threat in Iraq (and Syria) let alone the rest of the world. 

There is a worry that if we pull out then the Iraqi military could collapse again and we have to go back to Iraq a third time. I don't think that is very likely though. Unlike 2011, there isn't a major war raging in Syria. That instability isn't present this time, the Syrian Civil War is still going on but it's an afterthought. I don't think ISIS will again rise from the ashes...