US President Joe Biden and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on Monday sealed an agreement formally ending the US combat mission in Iraq by the end of 2021, more than 18 years after US troops were sent to the country.
Under the agreement, however, US military forces will continue to operate in Iraq in what is called an “advisory role.”
The joint Iraq-US statement followed by strong reactions from the Iraqi political factions, especially the resistance groups, that stressed the presence of foreign troops under any names means occupation and that the Iraqi people, especially the axis of resistance, will not tolerate it.
These movements have also implicitly emphasized that al-Kadhimi's agreement in Washington is not approved by them, in other words, al-Kadhimi must move towards the strict implementation of the Iraqi parliament's resolution on the complete withdrawal of foreign troops.
Al-Kadhimi's visit to the United States and this joint statement appear to have been aimed at bypassing Iraqi parliament’s bill. Al-Kadhimi is also trying to strengthen his position for the upcoming elections. His situation has been severely damaged by the government's inefficiency in the economic affairs and failure to suppress the coronavirus pandemic. It can be said that Al-Kadhimi has reached the end of his political path and Muqtada al-Sadr, his most important supporter, also expresses his exoneration from this government and Al-Kadhimi.
Al-Kadhimi is trying to portray himself as the hero of the expulsion of the United States (withdrawal from Iraq) and to insinuate to the Iraqi public opinion that he has changed the relationship with the United States from a one-sided and subjugated relationship to a two-way relationship.
Although the withdrawal of US combat troops, which could somehow be considered the end of US military operations in Iraq, is an opportunity. Given to the will of the Iraqi resistance to expand anti-US operations, it should be noted that the US, as knows, is forced to leave the country, but tries not to consider this withdrawal as a privilege for the Iraqi resistance.
By agreeing with Al-Kadhimi, the United States tries to show this withdrawal in the framework of a bilateral agreement with the Iraqi government and by defining the presence of his advisory role, to continue to intervene in Iraq.
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