The U.S. military resumed its joint operations with Iraq on Wednesday—less than two weeks after Iraq’s parliament voted to expel all American forces from the country. There was a 10-day pause in operations following President Trump’s decision to assassinate Iran Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad. That strike provoked fury in the Iraqi government, which accused the U.S. of violating its sovereignty by carrying out airstrikes on its soil. Two U.S. military officials told TheNew York Times that joint operations had restarted and were aimed at preventing ISIS from gaining any momentum from the pause in operations and stifling any propaganda victory it might claim. It’s not clear if the Iraqi government approved the resumption of joint missions. U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, have dismissed calls from Iraqi officials for American troops to leave for good.
