Iraq announces full withdrawal of US forces from its federal territory
The Iraqi government said on Sunday that US forces have completed a “complete withdrawal” from military installations on the country’s federal territory, except for the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region, where US troops remain.
The last contingent of US advisors has left Iraq, the Iraqi defense ministry said Al Assad Air Base In Anbar province in western Iraq, which has hosted US troops for more than two decades.
US military has been withdrawing for several years after the Iraqi government called for a 2023 withdrawal
In the ministry statement, it was stated that the US-led coalition fighting against the Islamic State group also withdrew from the Joint Operations Command headquarters and the facilities were left completely under the control of Iraqi security forces.
US forces are still based at Harir Air Base in Erbil province in the Kurdistan Region. Iraq’s central government cannot fully control the Kurdish region in northern Iraq, as it is an autonomous federal entity with its own government, parliament and security forces, recognized by the Iraqi constitution.
The US military presence in Iraq has fluctuated greatly since then. 2003 invasion. At its peak, the United States had 170,000 troops in Iraq. In 2011, former President Barack Obama withdrew US forces from the country. At the request of the Iraqi government, approximately 5,000 soldiers were deployed to Iraq in 2014 and assistance was requested from the United States. The fight against ISIS.
As of December 2021, the US military announced The United States has approximately 2,500 troops in Iraq in an advice and assistance capacity following the end of its combat role in the country.
The Iraqi ministry released a video on Saturday showing senior Iraqi military commanders walking through empty halls and corridors at Assad Air Base.
The US Department of Defense Central Command told CNN on Sunday that “the Iraqi Department of Defense’s previous statement regarding the handover was factual,” without providing further details.
The withdrawal comes amid regional tensions between the United States and Iran, at a time when US President Donald Trump is considering whether to strike Iran. deadly street protests Against the country’s authoritarian regime.
US forces stationed at the Assad base have been attacked many times by Iran and Iran-backed groups over the years.
In January 2020, Iran launched a ballistic missile attack on US forces in Assad in retaliation for a drone strike at Baghdad airport that killed Iran’s most powerful military commander. Qasem Soleimani. The heavy bombardment lasted approximately two hours and targeted only US areas of the joint base.
Following the terrorist attacks in Israel on October 7, 2023, Iran-linked militia groups launched a series of missile attacks on Assad. In August 2024, five US soldiers and two US contractors He was injured in the attack.
Iraqi officials said on Sunday that their armed forces have sufficient capacity to ensure the country’s security in all branches and that future cooperation with the United States will focus on training, equipment procurement, joint exercises and operational coordination under bilateral agreements.
While Iraq assessed that the coalition mission had concluded on its territory, officials noted that coalition operations against ISIS and other terrorist groups continued. Syria. Baghdad expects logistical support for the passage through the coalition’s air base in Erbil, and Assad did not rule out US-Iraqi launching joint operations against ISIS if deemed necessary.
A US withdrawal could strengthen the government’s position in negotiations to disarm non-state armed groups, as some Iranian-backed militias have invoked the US presence to justify retaining their weapons.
like militia Kataib Hezbollah And Harakat al-NujabaIraq, which is among Iraq’s most powerful armed groups and designated “terrorist entities” by the United States, has refused to disarm. They said they would surrender their weapons only when Iraq achieved full sovereignty, including the withdrawal of foreign forces from Iraq.
There was no comment from the militia regarding the announcement. Although many of them have been formally integrated into the Popular Mobilization Forces, they remain influential actors in Iraq’s security, political and economic spheres.
CNN’s Piper Hudspeth Blackburn contributed reporting.
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