"We don't need the army": Trump confirms military will leave Iraq
· Telemundo McAllen (KTLM)
The United States military will withdraw from Iraq by the end of September, U.S. and Iraqi officials announced on Tuesday, following a 23-year presence that began with the 2003 invasion and transitioned to much-reduced operations against ISIS. President Donald Trump, standing alongside Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi at the White House, stated, "We don't believe we need the army there anymore," highlighting Iraq's growing relationships with oil companies. "It's a huge relationship where we don't need the army," Trump expressed. "We're there to help them. We're there to protect them if necessary. But we don't believe that will be needed." Through an interpreter, al-Zaidi noted that "U.S. forces will leave Iraq" by September 30, "while U.S. companies will remain in Iraq." The Pentagon later indicated in a statement that it would ratify a 2024 agreement with Iraq to end its mission against ISIS fighters. Many of the U.S. soldiers who were still in Iraq at the time of the agreement, reached during the Biden administration, have already departed. The United States has been shifting the burden of combating ISIS to Iraqi troops who have been trained by the U.S. military. U.S. troops have been reducing their presence, withdrawing from areas and concentrating forces.
AI summary · Source: Telemundo McAllen (KTLM) →
