The planned withdrawal of US forces from Iraq will include all territories, including the Kurdistan Region, a senior military expert confirmed on November 17.
US and Western allied forces have had several bases in Iraq since the 2003 invasion of the country, which led to the downfall of Saddam Hussein and his ultimate execution. Despite saying on several occasions the US would leave Iraq, the government has changed direction following the war in Syria and, latterly, the rise of the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). More recently, US forces in Kurdish areas have been under increasing attacks by Iranian-backed groups.
Jabbar Yawar, a Kurdish military affairs specialist, told Baghdad Today that the United States continues to implement its agreement with Iraq under the Strategic Framework Agreement signed between both sides, and this policy will remain unchanged even after Donald Trump’s arrival to the presidency.