Overview
- Iraq’s Defense Ministry said the last U.S. advisers departed al-Asad Air Base and the coalition withdrew from Joint Operations Command facilities.
- U.S. Central Command characterized Baghdad’s description of the handover as factual.
- U.S. troops remain at Harir Air Base in Erbil in the Kurdistan region, with future cooperation focused on training, equipment, exercises, and operational coordination under bilateral agreements.
- Baghdad expects coalition logistics to route through Erbil and left open the option of joint counter-ISIS operations launching from al-Asad if required.
- The transition follows a 2024 pact to wind down the coalition as Washington sustains strikes on ISIS in Syria under Operation Hawkeye State and as President Donald Trump confers with Syria’s Ahmed al-Sharaa.