Military Transition and Kurdistan Exception
Iraqi authorities announced on Sunday the completion of the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces from all military bases and advisory headquarters within the country’s federal territories. A military committee overseeing the end of the coalition’s mission stated that these sites are now under the full control of Iraqi security forces. The announcement marks a formal shift to a bilateral security relationship with the United States. Notably, this withdrawal excludes the autonomous Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq, where a coalition presence will continue under a separate timeline.
Background of the 2014 Deployment and 2024 Agreement
The US and allied troops were initially deployed to Iraq and Syria in 2014 to combat the Islamic State (IS) group, which had seized large swathes of territory to declare its so-called caliphate. While IS was territorially defeated in Iraq by 2017, sleeper cells remain active. The current withdrawal follows a 2024 agreement between Baghdad and Washington, which stipulated the end of the coalition’s combat mission in federal Iraq by the end of 2025. The agreement set a later deadline of September 2026 for the Kurdistan Region.
Ongoing Counter-Terrorism Role and Regional Stability
The military committee emphasized that coordination with the international coalition will continue to eliminate the remnants of IS in Syria. It highlighted the ongoing role of the coalition in Iraq, which provides cross-border logistical support for operations in Syria from the Erbil airbase in the Kurdistan Region. Despite a significant reduction in IS attacks in recent years, the group maintains a presence in Iraq’s mountainous areas and along the Syrian border, with concerns of a resurgence highlighted by a deadly attack in Syria in December.
This strategic drawdown represents a major milestone in Iraq’s post-ISIS security sovereignty, while underscoring the enduring, albeit reconfigured, security partnership with the United States and its allies in the region.
