The US withdrawal from Iraq this week marked a major milestone, as its anti-ISIS mission officially came to an end.
The government in Baghdad called it Sovereignty Day. More than 20 years since the American invasion of Iraq and 12 years since the start of the US-led coalition against ISIS, the departure was widely celebrated by Iraqis.
But it also comes at a challenging time for the country and the region. The US-Iran war has turned Iraq into a key battleground for competing influences, making it the only country to be attacked from both sides.
Iran-backed militias in Iraq were supposed to disarm by the same deadline as the US withdrawal, but this has been postponed until June 2027. The delay and the withdrawal are being portrayed by Iran and its axis as a victory.
In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher asks, what will the US exit change for Iraq and what will it mean for American and Iranian influence in the region? She speaks to Iraqi political analyst Sajad Jiyad and The National’s deputy foreign editor Aveen Karim.
