Trump: We should have left Iraq a long time ago

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After the international coalition led by the United States to fight ISIS ended its mission in Iraq after 12 years, US President Donald Trump announced that “we should have left Iraq a long time ago.”

Trump added in statements to reporters at the White House: “We left Iraq with respect.”

In another context, he added that "the war with Iran will end soon," stressing that "everything is collapsing in Iran."

Trump had previously praised the coalition forces' completion of their mission in Iraq, and Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, whom he considered "wonderful."

He said in a post on his Truth Social platform: “This day represents a victory for the United States, a victory for Iraq, and a decisive victory over ISIS.”

This came after Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi confirmed earlier Wednesday the transfer of the tasks of joint operations of the international coalition to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, stressing that the next stage is based on consolidating the authority of the state and its security institutions, and that “there are no weapons outside the umbrella of the law and state institutions.”

Al-Zaidi explained that the end of the international coalition’s mission does not mean the end of the battle with terrorism, stressing the continuation of efforts to confront security threats and maintain stability.

He also indicated in a statement that security cooperation with the international coalition will continue in a form that he described as “more effective,” with a focus on new areas that serve Iraq’s security capabilities. He also added that this cooperation will include digital technology to support security, within the framework of the new phase of the security relationship with the international coalition after the end of its mission.

In turn, the Pentagon announced that the US Department of War will continue to provide targeted training and intelligence support to its partners in Iraq.

He also noted that "the Iraqi security forces are expected to lead ongoing efforts to secure the state and curb the remnants of ISIS." He also stressed that the orderly withdrawal of coalition forces and equipment from Erbil Air Base represents the conclusion of the military mission that defeated ISIS in Iraq.

American forces had returned to Iraq after withdrawing from it during the invasion, to help Iraqi forces defeat ISIS in a major war that extended from 2014 to 2017.

Then, after the defeat of the organization in 2017, demands began to escalate by some Iraqi parties for the withdrawal of those forces from the country, especially by armed factions loyal to Iran.

While Al-Zaidi considered that this current withdrawal would help in the task of confining weapons to the state.