Level 1 — Absolute Beginner
The United States says its soldiers have left Iraq. The last soldiers left an air base in the north of the country on Wednesday.
The American mission in Iraq lasted 12 years. Its goal was to fight a group called the Islamic State. About 4,500 Americans died in Iraq during more than 20 years of war.
Iran is happy about the news. Groups in Iraq that are close to Iran say it is a victory. One leader says the soldiers left "defeated".
The Iraqi government says the country is now stronger. But some people in Iraq feel afraid. This is especially true in the Kurdish region. Iran also talks with the United States about a ceasefire. Iran says it expects an answer from Washington soon.
- soldier
- A person who fights for a country in its army.
- air base
- A place where military planes stay and fly from.
- mission
- An important job that a group is sent to do.
- victory
- A win, when you beat someone.
- government
- The people who lead a country.
- afraid
- Feeling worried that something bad will happen.
- ceasefire
- An agreement to stop fighting.
- answer
- What you say when someone asks you a question.
Level 2 — Elementary
The United States military announced on Wednesday that it has finished withdrawing its troops from Iraq. The last soldiers left the final air base where they were staying, in the north of the country. The move ends a 12 year mission that was created to fight the Islamic State group.
Iran and the groups it supports in Iraq quickly celebrated. A security official from the powerful militia Kataib Hezbollah said the "expulsion of the occupation forces, defeated" was "the beginning of full sovereignty". The Iraqi government also praised the exit as a sign that the country is growing stronger.
Not everyone is happy, however. Some Iraqis, especially in the Kurdish region, are worried about security now that the Americans are gone. More than 4,500 Americans died in Iraq during two decades of war, and Iran now has a lot of influence there.
The news comes while Iran and the United States are still arguing about the war. Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, says he expects a formal answer from Washington to Tehran's plan for a ceasefire and a slow reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. A mediator from Qatar met both sides this week, but sources say there was little progress.
- withdraw
- To take soldiers or people out of a place.
- final
- Last, coming at the end.
- militia
- A group of fighters that is not part of the official army.
- sovereignty
- The power of a country to rule itself.
- influence
- The power to change what other people do or think.
- mediator
- A person who helps two sides talk and find a deal.
- formal
- Official, done in the proper way.
- reopen
- To open something again after it was closed.
Level 3 — Intermediate
The United States military said on Wednesday that its withdrawal from Iraq is complete, closing a 12 year mission that began as a campaign against the Islamic State group. The final American troops left the last air base they held in the north of the country, ending a presence that followed more than two decades of war in which about 4,500 Americans died.
The reaction split along familiar lines. Baghdad presented the departure as proof of Iraq's growing strength and sovereignty. Iran and the armed groups it backs went further and treated it as a triumph. Abu Mujahid al-Assaf, a security official in the powerful Kataib Hezbollah militia, said the "expulsion of the occupation forces, defeated, from the land of Iraq is the beginning of full sovereignty".
Other Iraqis are far less comfortable. Many in the Kurdish region fear that the departure removes a counterweight to Iran-backed militias and leaves the country's security exposed. Analysts say Tehran already had deep influence in Iraq, and that the exit hands it an opening it did not have before.
The timing is awkward for Washington, because the war with Iran is in its seventh month. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says he expects a formal American reply to Tehran's proposal for a ceasefire and a phased reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a plan President Trump has already rejected. A Qatari mediator met Araghchi in New York and then met Jared Kushner, but Qatari officials are reportedly growing frustrated because neither side will budge.
- campaign
- A planned series of actions aimed at a goal, often military.
- presence
- The fact of being in a place, such as troops stationed there.
- triumph
- A great victory or success.
- counterweight
- Something that balances the power of something else.
- exposed
- Left without protection and open to danger.
- analyst
- An expert who studies a subject and explains it.
- phased
- Done in stages, one step at a time.
- frustrated
- Annoyed because you cannot make progress.
Level 4 — Advanced
The United States military declared on Wednesday that its withdrawal from Iraq is complete, closing a twelve year mission that began as a campaign against the Islamic State and outlasted the organisation's territorial power. The last American troops departed the final air base they occupied in the north of the country, drawing a line under a presence that grew out of more than two decades of war, in which roughly 4,500 Americans died.
The reaction fell predictably along factional lines. Baghdad packaged the departure as evidence of a more confident, sovereign Iraq. Tehran and its armed partners went considerably further and framed it as a humiliation for Washington: Abu Mujahid al-Assaf, a security official in the powerful Kataib Hezbollah militia, said "the expulsion of the occupation forces, defeated, from the land of Iraq is the beginning of full sovereignty".
Yet the celebration masks real anxiety elsewhere. Many Iraqis, particularly in the Kurdish region, worry that the exit removes a restraint on Iran-backed factions and leaves the state's security architecture brittle. Analysts note that Iran's sway over Iraqi politics, security services and the economy was already deep, and that a vacated American footprint hands it room it previously had to share.
For the White House the timing could hardly be more delicate, because the confrontation with Iran is now in its seventh month and diplomacy is stalled. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says he expects a formal American response to Tehran's proposal for a ceasefire and a phased reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which President Trump has already dismissed. A Qatari mediator, Ali al-Thawadi, shuttled between Araghchi in New York and the US envoy Jared Kushner, but Qatari officials are reportedly growing exasperated with two parties who refuse to concede anything.
- outlast
- To continue to exist longer than something else.
- predictably
- In a way that people could easily guess in advance.
- humiliation
- A situation that makes someone feel or look foolish or defeated.
- restraint
- A thing that limits or controls behaviour.
- brittle
- Hard but easily broken; lacking resilience.
- sway
- Influence or control over people or events.
- footprint
- The size or extent of a presence, such as a military one.
- exasperated
- Extremely irritated and losing patience.
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