The US is in no rush to leave Iraq
Iraq and the United States have announced that they will end the international coalition mission by September 2025. However, Washington stressed that this is "not yet a withdrawal of troops."
The US-led coalition's military mission in Iraq will end by September 2025, after which it will transition to bilateral security cooperation. This was stated in a joint statement of the United States and Iraq on Friday.
The United States has about 2,500 troops in Iraq and about 900 in neighboring Syria as part of a coalition formed in 2014 to fight the Islamic State group, which operates in two countries.
The joint statement provided few details, including how many US troops would leave Iraq and from which bases.
In a briefing to reporters on Friday, a senior US official said the move was not a troop withdrawal and declined to say whether troops would leave Iraq.
"I want to remind you that this is not a withdrawal of troops. This is a transitional period. This is a transition from the military mission of the coalition to the expansion of the bilateral security relationship between the United States and Iraq," said the Pentagon representative.
In January, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani began negotiations with Washington on changing the format of cooperation. That's when he While U.S. aid is appreciated, U.S. forces have become a source of instability, often being targeted and retaliating against the Iraqi government .
Reuters previously reported that hundreds of troops will leave the country by September 2025, and the rest by the end of 2026, according to the agreement. The plan calls for all coalition forces to leave Ain al-Asad Air Base in western Anbar province and significantly reduce their presence in Baghdad by September 2025.
US and other coalition forces are expected to remain in Erbil. Other countries, including Germany, France, Spain and Italy, are also contributing hundreds of troops to the coalition.
Officials told reporters that the US mission in Syria would continue.
While the focus appears to be on the fight against ISIS, US officials acknowledge that the country's troop presence also serves as a strategic posture against Iranian influence.
