US troops have left Iraq, bringing more than two decades of American military presence in the country to an end and leaving the Iraqi government to face a new security reality.
The US first deployed forces to Iraq in 2003 to depose Saddam Hussein. The aftermath was marked by a series of crises and a cycle of violence that significantly weakened the country.
Although the US may have prevented the collapse of the Iraqi state, it has also been accused of contributing to the chaos that followed Hussein’s ousting.
Iraq’s future security challenges
The departure raises questions over whether Iraq is prepared to manage its security challenges alone, and who stands to benefit from the US leaving.
The issue was discussed by Ahmed Rushdi, president of the House of Iraqi Expertise Foundation; Kenneth Katzman, a senior fellow at The Soufan Center specialising in Middle East geopolitics and US foreign policy; and Abdullah Alshayji, a political science professor at Kuwait University specialising in US politics and Gulf security.
