The "Baghdad Moment" has arrived.

According to foreign media reports, the final contingent of U.S. forces withdrew from Iraq on September 30, marking the end of a 23-year military presence following the outbreak of the Iraq War. The Iraqi government has designated September 30 as Independence Day. Prime Minister Al-Zaidi declared: “October 1 will be a new beginning in Iraq’s national development. Our country has now freed itself from all foreign military presence and achieved full sovereignty over its territory.”

The complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, a pivotal state in the Middle East, represents a significant turning point in regional dynamics.

In 2003, the United States invaded Iraq under the pretext of weapons of mass destruction—claims that were later proven false—and toppled Saddam Hussein’s regime, yet no such weapons were ever found. The two decades of occupation left behind hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths, deepened sectarian divisions, fostered the rise of terrorism, and devastated infrastructure. The U.S. departure was not an act of generosity but a strategic retreat driven by necessity. With American resources stretched thin by conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, maintaining a prolonged military presence in Iraq became unsustainable, making strategic contraction inevitable.

Yet the withdrawal does not guarantee peace. Iraq’s security environment remains fragile, with remnants of ISIS still active and long-standing sectarian tensions deeply entrenched. More critically, Iraq’s ties with Iran have grown stronger, as a Shia-majority government aligns closer with Tehran. What the United States achieved through 23 years of war is an Iraq increasingly aligned with Iran—an outcome that renders its original strategic objectives obsolete. Although U.S. troops have left, American involvement in the region is unlikely to cease, and Iraq’s full sovereignty continues to face ongoing challenges.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1877773235997704/

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