Iran: US troop withdrawal from Iraq a victory

TT-AFP

Published 10.27

        

       Iraqi security forces take part in a convoy in Baghdad to celebrate the official US withdrawal                       from Iraq. Photo: Hadi Mizban/AP/TT

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard hails the news that the last US troops are leaving Iraq as a victory.

The Revolutionary Guard "congratulates the proud nation of Iraq, the united front of Islamic resistance, and the revolutionary warriors of the Islamic world on this historic victory," a statement reads.

"Two decades of occupation show that the US presence did not contribute to security; rather, it was a source of insecurity, terrorism, and instability in Western Asia," the statement continues.

On Wednesday, the mission of the US-led coalition—established in 2014 to combat IS in Iraq and Syria—was formally concluded.

According to Iraq, this means that Iran-backed militia groups in the country no longer have a reason to refuse to surrender their weapons. Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has now given them a new deadline of June 30 to do so.