The U.S. Should Fully Withdraw From Iraq.

The article focuses on the recent agreement between U.S. and Iraqi officials to end the U.S.-led coalition mission against the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq by September 2025, with a phased reduction of U.S. troops and continued support for operations in Syria through 2026. It highlights that the U.S. has largely achieved its objective of dismantling IS's territorial caliphate, which was declared defeated in Iraq in 2017 and Syria in 2019, and notes the improved capabilities of local forces such as the Iraqi army and Kurdish peshmerga. While acknowledging ongoing IS threats, the article emphasizes that regional actors have vested interests in preventing IS resurgence and that the U.S. can still conduct counterterrorism operations without a large ground presence. It also discusses the security risks posed by the U.S. military presence in Iraq, including attacks linked to Iran-backed militias, and frames the current transition as a move toward a more normalized U.S.-Iraq relationship.