U.S. ends ISIS-fighting mission in Iraq as regional security fears mount

The last American troops assigned to fight ISIS in Iraq pulled out of the country Wednesday, ending the mission that dismantled the extremists’ self-declared caliphate but raising fears about what might fill the vacuum as the Iran war grinds on.

Though the Iraqi government welcomed the end of Operation Inherent Resolve, Kurdish officials in the north of the country said they were concerned the Biden-era decision was being carried out even after Iranian missiles pummeled them following the war launched by the United States and Israel earlier this year.

Iran-backed militias in Iraq have attacked U.S. personnel and diplomats, as well as regional allies such as Saudi Arabia. And there are fears Tehran could seek to capitalize on the U.S. withdrawal, with its proxies already celebrating the move, coupled with concerns about a potential resurgence in attacks by the remnants of the Islamic State terrorist group itself.

“We came to fight a caliphate, and there is no longer a caliphate, so we are going home,” President Donald Trump said at the White House on Wednesday, adding that the moment was a “victory for the United States” as well as a “decisive victory over ISIS, which has been completely decimated, which…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/world