(Reuters) - US forces are set to leave their last bases in Iraq by Wednesday, ending a military presence of more than two decades and raising concerns over Iran’s influence and security gaps that could be exploited by the Islamic State.
The withdrawal was agreed by Washington and Baghdad in 2024 and is being completed under President Donald Trump’s administration. Iran and its allied armed groups in Iraq have described the departure as a victory.
Iraqi security analyst Jasim al-Bahadli said Iran could benefit strategically from the withdrawal because the US military presence had acted as a counterweight to Tehran’s influence in Iraq.
He said Iran-backed militia groups could seek greater influence over Iraq’s security and political decision-making following the US departure.
However, some Iraqi officials and security figures have warned that the country may not yet be ready to fully manage its security without US support.
Sunni tribal leader Abdulrahman al-Zobaie said Iraqis wanted full sovereignty but feared the withdrawal could create a security vacuum.
The United States invaded Iraq in 2003 and withdrew its forces in 2011. US troops returned in 2014 to support Iraqi forces in the fight against Islamic State, which was territorially defeated in Iraq in 2017.
Some Iraqi security officials also fear the withdrawal could allow Islamic State to rebuild its sleeper-cell network. Kurdish commander Sirwan Barzani said the loss of US intelligence, logistical support and drones could make it easier for the group to regroup.
Iraqi security forces have also said they recently uncovered a suspected Islamic State plot to carry out suicide attacks around the time of the US withdrawal.