US Involvement in Iraq Never Ended?

US Involvement in Iraq Never Ended: But just how is the current conflict in Iraq linked with the US-led war that ostensibly ended with the final withdrawal of coalition forces at the end of 2011? When I read about the unfolding crisis in Anbar, I see two threads of continuity with the Iraq War.
First, the turmoil in Anbar is, in large part, the result of a sectarian political dynamic unleashed after the collapse of the Iraqi state in 2003. Media coverage of recent events in Iraq often has focused on this sectarian dynamic, which is immensely complicated and worthy of meticulous consideration.
The second thread of continuity with the Iraq war is a sustained and heavily militarized US involvement in the country.
The pervasive notion that America "abandoned" Iraq is a myth.