The U.S.-led coalition fighting ISIS will withdraw from the Ain al-Asad Air Base in Iraq’s Anbar province next week.
Lt. Gen. Qais al-Mohammadi, deputy commander of the Joint Operations Command said the withdrawal will involve a full handover of the base to Iraqi forces.
“Ain al-Asad will witness a full withdrawal next week and be transferred to our Iraqi units,” Mohammadi said, calling the move a success for Iraqi capabilities and sovereignty.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said in September that coalition forces are no longer needed in the region, though Iraq plans bilateral defense agreements with some members, including the U.S.
Mohammadi said ISIS has lost its ability to plan, operate, control territory or affect security. The group carried out only four attacks in 2025, down from 42 in 2024, and all were deemed ineffective.
Ain al-Asad Air Base has frequently been targeted by Iran-aligned militias that oppose the U.S. presence in the region.
Even after Iraq’s 2017 victory over ISIS, roughly 2,500 U.S. troops remain in Iraq. They are stationed near Baghdad International Airport and at Irbil Air Base in the Kurdistan Region.
