Washington's assassination of a senior Iranian commander in Baghdad in January prompted Iraqi authorities to demand the immediate remove of US forces from the country. America has gradually reducing its troop presence in the Middle Eastern nation in recent months, but has dragged its feet on making any commitment to complete withdrawal.
The US has beefed up its military presence in Iraq, deploying Patriot missile systems at the al-Asad Air Base in al Anbar governorate, and Erbil Airbase in Iraqi Kurdistan, officials speaking to the Associated Press have said.
The bases were struck by over a dozen Iranian missiles on January 8, 2020, causing traumatic brain injuries among 110 US troops, with Iran describing the strikes as retaliation to the January 3 drone strike assassination of Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Qasem Soleimani at Baghdad's airport.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley confirmed Thursday that hundreds of troops from the 1st Brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division would remain in Iraq due to the threat posed by Shia militias. According to Milley, US troops would remain hunkered down in Iraq “until such time that we think the threat has subsided.”
The most recent attack on US interests in the Middle Eastern country took place last week, when a Halliburton site was targeted in Basra governorate by Katyusha rocket fire. No damage or casualties were reported in that…
