As it turns out, President Trump's decision to kill Iranian General and revolutionary icon Qasem Suleimani - an attack that millions of Trump's critics warned could start WWIII - might have given the US exactly the cover it needs to pull out of Iraq, once and for all.

In a letter from Marine Corps Brig. Gen. William H. Seely III, obtained by AFP whose authenticity has since been confirmed by both US and Iraqi defense officials, the US Army informed Iraq that it is "preparing for onward movement" out of respect for Iraq's "sovereign decision to order our departure."

sLTG Abdul Amir

Deputy Director, Combined Joint Operations Baghdad Iraq - Ministry of Defense

Your Excellency,

Sir, in due deference to the sovereignty of the Republic of Iraq, and as requested by the Iraqi Parliament and the Prime Minister, CJTF-OIR will be repositioning forces over the course of the coming days and weeks to prepare for onward movement.

In order to conduct this task, Coalition Forces are required to take certain measures to ensure that the movement out of Iraq is conducted in a safe and efficient manner.

During this time, there will be an increase in helicopter travel in and around the International Zone (IZ) of Baghdad. This increased traffic will include CH47, VH-00, and AH-64 security escort helicopters.

Coalition Forces will take appropriate measures to minimize and mitigate the disturbance to the public. In addition, we will conduct these operations during hours of darkness to help alleviate any perception that we may be bringing more Coalition Forces into the IZ.

As we begin implementing this next phase of operations, I wish to reiterate the value of our friendship and partnership. We respect your sovereign decision to order our departure.

Very Respectfully,

WILLIAM H. SEELY III Brigadier General, U.S. Marine Corps Commanding General, TF-Iraq

Yesterday, Iraqi lawmakers voted to expel foreign troops from the country during an emergency parliamentary session. Interim Iraqi prime minister, Adil Abdul Mahdi, stressed during the session, that while the US government notified the Iraqi military of the planned strike on Soleimani, his government denied Washington permission to continue with the operation.

Though the Iraq war 'officially' ended in 2011, thousands of coalition troops stuck around. Their numbers increased following the rise of ISIS in the region.

Ending the US troop presence in Iraq has been a longtime goal of non-interventionists like Ron Paul and his son, Rand.

That said, even without troops in Iraq, the US will still have plenty of capacity to bully Iran, and other other regional powers.

Of course, Trump has gone back on promises to pull troops before (remember Syria?), and, as we noted just moments earlier, other reports claim thousands of Marines are headed toward Iraq as we speak. In any event, over the past few years, Trump has become an expert at managing public opinion - after all he singlehandedly tweeted the market to new all time highs - and it's possible that this is simply more rhetoric. On the other hand, if the troops really do come home, it would beg the question: Was Trump playing 5-D chess after all?

Poster Comment:

Iran can take revenge in Afghanistan in the short run because the US has 14,000 troops there and the new Iranian commander used to work there. The next point of loss would be Yemen. If the Iranians were to step up efforts there, they could, after a Yemeni victory, raise a proxy army capable of taking down the Saudi royals who are unpopular at home. Then more nations could force the US out.