“I think in his death he put the final nail in the coffin of the U.S. military presence in Iraq,” said Mohammad Shabani, a doctoral researcher at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London who focuses on Iran-Iraq relations. “If Iran can erase the U.S. military presence in Iraq and all it has to do is give up five Iranian military men, would Iran do it? I think the answer is yes.”The United States has nearly 5,000 troops in Iraq on a handful of bases. But whether they stay or go, the American power in Iraq was only likely to be diminished. “The U.S. diplomatic & mil presence will end b/c Iraq asks us to depart or our presence is just a target or both.

Source: New York Times January 04, 2020 00:50 UTC