<Li> U.S.--Iraq Status of Forces Agreement </Li> <Li> Withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq in 2011 </Li> <Li> Stronger Iranian influence in Iraq </Li> <Li> Escalation of sectarian insurgency after U.S. withdrawal leading to the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the successor of al - Qaeda in Iraq </Li>

The united states has been at war for