American troops have officially left Iraq after 23 years, Fox News reports in a video segment.
The exit comes despite concerns, cited by Fox News, that it gives Iran-backed militias free rein. CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper is praising the operation as one that crushed ISIS.
Cooper's words, as quoted in the Fox News video: "As we step back and hand full primary responsibility for Iraq's security to the government of Iraq and the brave people of Iraq,
US and coalition forces stationed across the region will remain ready to respond to any ISIS threats that arise.
That is the whole pitch. Iraq's government takes the security job, and forces elsewhere in the region stay on call for ISIS.
The Fox News segment does not say who the free rein concerns come from. It also gives no detail on how the withdrawal was carried out, and no date for it. Nothing in it addresses how Iran-backed militias might respond.
So the claim on the table is Cooper's: ISIS was crushed, and the region's forces are ready if it comes back.