Iraq announces full withdrawal of US forces from its federal territory

By Mohammed Tawfeeq, Aqeel Najim, Jonny Hallam, CNN

(CNN) — Iraq’s government on Sunday said US forces had completed a “full withdrawal” from military facilities within the country’s federal territory, which excludes the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region where US troops remain.

Iraq’s defense ministry said the final contingent of US advisers had departed from Al-Asad Air Base in Anbar province in western Iraq, which hosted US troops for more than two decades.

The US military has been drawing down for several years after the Iraqi government called for it do so in 2023

The US-led coalition to fight against the Islamic State group, also withdrew from the Joint Operations Command headquarters, leaving the installations under full control of Iraqi security forces, the ministry statement added.

US forces still remain at Harir Air Base in Erbil province, located in the Kurdistan Region. Iraq’s central government does not fully control the Kurdish region in northern Iraq as it’s 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 the 2003 invasion. At its height, the US had 170,000 troops in Iraq. In 2011, former President Barack Obama withdrew US forces from the country. Around 5,000 troops were deployed to Iraq in 2014 at the request of the Iraqi government, seeking US assistance in the fight against ISIS.

From December 2021, when the US military announced the end of its combat role in the country, the US has had roughly 2,500 troops in Iraq in an advise and assist capacity.

The Iraqi ministry released a video Saturday showing senior Iraqi military commanders walking through empty halls and corridors inside Al-Asad Air Base.

The US Department of Defense’s Central Command told CNN Sunday that “Iraqi Ministry of Defense’s earlier statement indicating the handover were factual,” without providing further details.

The withdrawal comes amid regional tensions between the US and Iran, as US President Donald Trump considers whether to strike Iran amid deadly street protests against the country’s authoritarian regime.

US forces stationed at the Al-Asad base have been attacked scores of times over the years by Iran and Iranian-backed groups.

In January 2020, Iran launched a ballistic missile attack on US forces at Al-Asad in retaliation for a drone strike at a Baghdad airport that killed Iran’s most powerful military commander, Qasem Soleimani. The heavy bombardment lasted for around two hours, targeting only the US areas of the shared base.

Following the October 7, 2023, terror attacks in Israel, Iran-aligned militia groups launched a series of missile strikes on Al-Asad. In August 2024, five US service members and two US contractors were injured in an attack.

Iraqi officials on Sunday said its armed forces across all branches possess sufficient capability to secure the country and the future cooperation with the US will center on training, equipment acquisition, joint exercises, and operational coordination under bilateral agreements.

While Iraq considers the coalition mission concluded on its territory, officials noted that coalition operations against ISIS and other terror groups continue in Syria. Baghdad expects logistical support to transit through the coalition’s air base in Erbil and did not rule out joint US-Iraqi counter-ISIS operations launched from Al-Asad if deemed necessary.

The US withdrawal may strengthen the government’s position in negotiations over the disarmament of non-state armed groups, as some of Iran-backed militias have cited the US presence to justify retaining their weapons.

Militias like Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat al-Nujaba, among Iraq’s most powerful armed groups and designated by the US as “terrorist entities,” rejected disarmament. They said they would surrender their weapons only once Iraq achieves full sovereignty, including the withdrawal of foreign forces from Iraq.

There were no immediate comments from the militias regarding the announcement. Although many have formally integrated into the Popular Mobilization Forces, they remain influential actors in Iraq’s security, political, and economic spheres.

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CNN’s Piper Hudspeth Blackburn contributed reporting.