⚡️🇺🇸🇮🇶🇮🇷 — EXCLUSIVE: US forces are set to pull out from their last bases in Iraq by Wednesday, a departure celebrated as a victory by Iran and its allies who now have deep influence in the country where 4,500 Americans died during more than two decades of war, according to Reuters.

The withdrawal, agreed in 2024 under President Biden and carried out by the Trump administration even as it wages war against Iran, could give Tehran and its allies free rein while allowing Islamic State to stage a comeback, Iraqi security experts say.

➡️ "Iran stands to benefit strategically from the coalition's departure because it removes a military presence that for years acted as a counterweight to Tehran's influence in Iraq," said analyst Jasim al-Bahadli, predicting pro-Iranian militias will seek greater influence over security and political decision-making.

➡️ Abu Mojtaba al-Yasiri, a commander in the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, called the withdrawal "a historic victory for the Iraqi Islamic resistance groups and honorable Iraqis, and a crushing defeat for the American project," adding that September 30 will mark "the turning of a black page in Iraq's history."

But some Iraqis fear the withdrawal is premature. "We believe Iraq is still not fully ready to take over the security file at this time," said Sunni tribal leader Abdulrahman al-Zobaie, warning of a vacuum.

In this year's war against Iran, 7 of the 18 US service members killed were in Iraq, the last an army sergeant who died during a controlled detonation of a drone at a base near Erbil in July. Washington has accused Iran-backed militia groups in Iraq of launching attacks on neighboring countries at Tehran's direction, most recently hitting a major Saudi oil pipeline this month.

Iraqi security officials warn the US pullout risks giving new life to Islamic State sleeper cells, with a suspected cell preparing suicide attacks to coincide with the pullout. "For more than two weeks, we have noticed movement by (ISIS) sleeper cells," said Kurdish commander Sirwan Barzani.

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