Iraq between Occupation and Sovereignty, as US Troops Depart

If all US forces leave Iraq by September 30, this will be the first time since 2003 that Iraq has no conventional US military presence. In the Kurdish region, the US Consulate in Erbil and the joint training facilities near the Erbil International Airport have been prime targets during the current war with Iran. Since February 28, US and coalition air defenses have defended the Kurdish region from more than 900 Iranian and Iraqi drone and missile attacks. Via PicrylSince the US forces left the Ain al-Asad Airbase, occupation and sovereignty have slugged it out with no real winner. Other cross border and proxy escalations further destabilize the region, for which Iraq blames both the US and Iran.