ALWAGHT- Iraq will end the deployment of US-led coalition troops in Baghdad and the Ain al-Asad base in al-Anbar by the end of September, the prime minister’s aide confirmed.
Iraq announced that US-led coalition troops, originally deployed to fight the ISIS terrorist group, will begin withdrawing next month under an agreement between Baghdad and coalition members. According to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani’s aide Hussein Allawi, the decision aligns with the government’s plan to strengthen its armed forces and shift toward bilateral defense partnerships.
Allawi explained that the withdrawal will take place in two stages, with the first phase scheduled for September 2025 and full completion set for September 2026. While coalition forces will leave, Iraq intends to maintain advisory and capacity-building cooperation with international partners.
The move reflects Baghdad’s broader strategy to normalize relations with the United States and coalition countries, transitioning from multilateral military frameworks to bilateral security agreements. Allawi emphasized that this approach mirrors pre-2014 strategic frameworks that existed before ISIS’s rise in Iraq.
The decision also follows Iraq’s 2020 parliamentary law to expel foreign forces after the US assassination of Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi PMU leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. Both men were celebrated for their leading role in defeating ISIS across Iraq and Syria.
