It’s a time of uncertainty in Iraq. Rumors are flying that the government is planning to postpone the US pullout, but the Iraqi army insisted Saturday that this is not the case.
The army spokesman says the pullout date for US combat forces was, and is, December 31. Intentions from Iraqi officials are that this is a fixed date, and not subject to change.
The rumors had been so persistent that one faction was seeking to raise volunteers to begin fighting the US forces if they stay on into 2022. The army insists this is unnecessary, and that the US will be gone by then.
The US invaded and occupied Iraq in 2003. Since then they’ve had variable troop levels, at times on the decline only to rapidly accelerate when a new situation, like the ISIS war, developed.
Iraq: Army Denies Claim US Withdrawal Date Extended
Date remains set at December 31
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
Join the Discussion!
We welcome thoughtful and respectful comments. Hateful language, illegal content, or attacks against Antiwar.com will be removed.
For more details, please see our Comment Policy.
