Iraq’s authorities on Sunday stated US forces had accomplished a “full withdrawal” from navy amenities inside the nation’s federal territory, which excludes the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region the place US troops stay.
Iraq’s protection ministry stated the ultimate contingent of US advisers had departed from Al-Asad Air Base in Anbar province in western Iraq, which hosted US troops for greater than twenty years.
The US navy has been drawing down for a number of years after the Iraqi authorities known as for it accomplish that in 2023
The US-led coalition to struggle in opposition to the Islamic State group, additionally withdrew from the Joint Operations Command headquarters, leaving the installations underneath full management of Iraqi safety forces, the ministry assertion added.
US forces nonetheless stay at Harir Air Base in Erbil province, situated within the Kurdistan Region. Iraq’s central authorities doesn’t totally management the Kurdish area in northern Iraq because it’s an autonomous federal entity with its personal authorities, parliament and safety forces, acknowledged by the Iraqi structure.
The US navy presence in Iraq has fluctuated enormously because the 2003 invasion. At its top, the US had 170,000 troops in Iraq. In 2011, former President Barack Obama withdrew US forces from the nation. Around 5,000 troops had been deployed to Iraq in 2014 on the request of the Iraqi authorities, looking for US help within the fight against ISIS.
From December 2021, when the US navy announced the tip of its fight position within the nation, the US has had roughly 2,500 troops in Iraq in an advise and help capability.
The Iraqi ministry launched a video Saturday displaying senior Iraqi navy commanders strolling by means of empty halls and corridors inside Al-Asad Air Base.
The US Department of Defense’s Central Command instructed NCS Sunday that “Iraqi Ministry of Defense’s earlier statement indicating the handover were factual,” with out offering additional particulars.
The withdrawal comes amid regional tensions between the US and Iran, as US President Donald Trump considers whether or not to strike Iran amid deadly street protests in opposition to the nation’s authoritarian regime.
US forces stationed on the Al-Asad base have been attacked scores of instances over time by Iran and Iranian-backed teams.
In January 2020, Iran launched a ballistic missile assault on US forces at Al-Asad in retaliation for a drone strike at a Baghdad airport that killed Iran’s strongest navy commander, Qasem Soleimani. The heavy bombardment lasted for round two hours, focusing on solely the US areas of the shared base.
Following the October 7, 2023, terror assaults in Israel, Iran-aligned militia teams launched a collection of missile strikes on Al-Asad. In August 2024, 5 US service members and two US contractors had been injured in an attack.
Iraqi officers on Sunday stated its armed forces throughout all branches possess ample functionality to safe the nation and the long run cooperation with the US will middle on coaching, gear acquisition, joint workout routines, and operational coordination underneath bilateral agreements.
While Iraq considers the coalition mission concluded on its territory, officers famous that coalition operations in opposition to ISIS and different terror teams proceed in Syria. Baghdad expects logistical help to transit by means of the coalition’s air base in Erbil and didn’t rule out joint US-Iraqi counter-ISIS operations launched from Al-Asad if deemed obligatory.
The US withdrawal might strengthen the federal government’s place in negotiations over the disarmament of non-state armed teams, as some of Iran-backed militias have cited the US presence to justify retaining their weapons.
Militias like Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat al-Nujaba, amongst Iraq’s strongest armed teams and designated by the US as “terrorist entities,” rejected disarmament. They stated they might give up their weapons solely as soon as Iraq achieves full sovereignty, together with the withdrawal of international forces from Iraq.
There had been no instant feedback from the militias relating to the announcement. Although many have formally built-in into the Popular Mobilization Forces, they continue to be influential actors in Iraq’s safety, political, and financial spheres.