Ultimately, this "humanitarian garrison" of ours in Iraq is a solid base from which to observe, ears to the ground and listen to the footsteps of the enemy in the night.
We can observe and listen all we want but if the Shahab bases, the IRGC bases, the nuke facilities, the sub bases, the naval assets, etc... are all still there what good does it do us?
There comes a time when you have to stop watching and start acting
The other positive is that that can all be done with virtually no casualties and much higher public support