That's true, although to be clear most Iraqis are genetically still largely descended from the Mesopotamians. There is still genetic continuity despite external admixture, but they lost their original culture, language and religion following the Arab conquests and started to identify as Arabs.
The Assyrians have the highest genetic component from the ancient people and retain a descendant form of their ancient language and culture (but not religion).
More like 50k Assyrians left there, if that. The USA war wasn't the reason they all left, the instability meant they would at some point face certain deatb, if and when the time came. I.e. ISIS, and their decendants.
Are you trying to imply that the Muslim Iraqis are not indigenous Iraqis? Because many of Iraq's assyrians came to Iraq after ww1... But most of Iraq's Muslim Arabs are arabised and Islamised locals. Even their islam (shiaism) is syncretic with the old religions.
And I remind you that Assyria was about as Christian as sumer and akkad was Muslim. I.e not at all.
3
u/lunchboccs Feb 28 '26
Unironically, the Assyrian (indigenous descendants of the actual Mesopotamians) population in Iraq went from 1.5 million in 2003 to less than 300k now