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2h ago

Iraq Confirms Full U.S.-Led Coalition Withdrawal From Federal Bases After Al-Asad Exit

The move implements the 2024 Baghdad–Washington plan, shifting counter-ISIS coordination to Erbil and Syria.

Image
This Dec. 29, 2019, aerial file photo taken from a helicopter shows Ain al-Asad air base in the western Anbar desert, Iraq.
Soldiers with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division conduct an artillery live fire exercise at Al Asad Air Base in Iraq, Dec. 1, 2023.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, attends the Army Day celebrations in Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

Overview

  • Iraq’s defense ministry said the last U.S. advisers departed Ain al-Asad Air Base, with Iraqi forces taking full control of facilities in federal territory.
  • Iraqi Army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah supervised the handover at Al-Asad and directed units to maximize the base’s capabilities.
  • U.S. Central Command told CNN the Iraqi statement on the handover was factual, while offering no further details.
  • U.S. troops remain in the Kurdistan Region, including at Harir Air Base near Erbil, and continue operations linked to Syria as coalition activity consolidates outside federal Iraq.
  • The departure fulfills key terms of the 2024 drawdown pact, ending the small advisory contingent retained at Al-Asad due to developments in Syria and strengthening Baghdad’s position in talks over militia disarmament.