The United States has reached an agreement with the Iraqi government to end its military mission against ISIS in Iraq by the end of 2026. The deal will see U.S. troops departing from some bases, with a transition towards a new phase that emphasizes a long-term security partnership between the two nations.
The transition will reportedly take place in two main phases. In the first phase, which runs until September 2025, the coalition’s mission against ISIS, known as Operation Inherent Resolve, will officially conclude. During this period, U.S. forces will begin withdrawing from key bases such as the Ain al-Asad airbase in western Iraq and Baghdad International Airport. Some of these troops will relocate to the Hareer base in Erbil, situated in northern Iraq’s Kurdistan region.
The second phase will continue from September 2025 until the end of 2026, with the U.S. maintaining a presence in Iraq to support counter-ISIS operations in Syria. This phase will gradually shift the American role from an active combat mission to a more supportive and bilateral security partnership with Iraq. While the U.S. military mission will formally end, officials emphasized that some American troops may remain in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, where the local government has expressed interest in keeping a U.S. presence.
The Biden administration has not provided specific details on the exact number of troops that will remain in Iraq after the mission ends. Currently, about 2,500 American troops are stationed in the country. Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh acknowledged that the U.S. military’s “footprint is going to be changing within the country,” but did not specify future troop levels. Officials stressed that this transition does not represent a complete withdrawal but rather a shift towards a long-term security partnership.
In recent years, U.S. bases in Iraq have frequently been targeted by Iran-backed militias, and these attacks intensified following the escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict in 2022.
For years, Iraqi officials have called for the withdrawal of coalition forces, and formal talks to wind down the U.S. presence have gained momentum in recent months. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who has close ties to Iran, has been particularly vocal in advocating for the U.S. to transition its military mission, especially after confrontations between U.S. forces and Iranian-backed militias within Iraqi territory. Al-Sudani described the agreement as an important step toward establishing a more balanced and independent relationship with the U.S., emphasizing Iraq’s ability to counter remaining ISIS threats with its own security forces.
However, the decision has raised concerns about Iraq’s capability to handle ongoing security challenges on its own. Some experts, such as Charles Lister from the Middle East Institute, argue that recent ISIS attacks in Syria, near Iraq’s border, indicate that the planned drawdown could be premature. Lister suggests that the decision to withdraw is more a response to political pressures in Baghdad rather than a reflection of the ISIS threat being completely eliminated.
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