The withdrawal of the final American troops from Iraq marks a major turning point in the country’s post-2003 political order. Baghdad has presented the departure as an important milestone in the restoration of national sovereignty and the strengthening of Iraq’s independent political and economic decision-making.

But the end of the US military presence also raises a larger regional question: who will exercise the greatest influence in Iraq after Washington’s departure?

Much of the discussion has focused on Iran. Tehran has extensive political, military and economic connections with Iraq, particularly through powerful Shiite political factions and armed groups. It would therefore be natural to assume that the American withdrawal will expand Iran’s influence.

Yet that interpretation may overlook another increasingly important regional actor: Turkey.

For Iraqi Kurdistan, the American withdrawal is not simply a symbolic restoration of sovereignty. It creates immediate security concerns. Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani has warned that leaving the region without an adequate defense system is a matter of concern.

The anxiety in Erbil is understandable. Iraqi Kurdistan has faced growing pressure from Iran during the wider regional conflict. Iranian drones and missiles have repeatedly targeted locations in the Kurdish region, with attacks aimed both at Iranian Kurdish opposition groups operating from Iraqi territory and at American-linked positions.

Just days before the final US withdrawal, drones targeted the Azadi camp in Erbil, which is associated with the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, an Iranian Kurdish opposition organization. Tehran has long viewed the presence of Iranian Kurdish groups in Iraq as a security threat because it fears that they could use Iraqi territory to organize attacks or political activity against the Iranian government.

The broader regional conflict has made this problem even more sensitive.

There have also been reports about American and Israeli efforts to work with Iranian opposition groups, including Kurdish organizations based in Iraq, with the objective of creating pressure inside Iran. According to reports cited by Israeli and Turkish media, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan........

© Blitz