US troops depart key military site in Iraq (VIDEO)
The US has fully withdrawn troops from the Al-Asad Airbase in Iraq, reducing the Pentagon’s footprint in the country to Kurdish-controlled areas.
The drawdown, agreed upon in 2024, proceeded despite renewed regional tensions after US President Donald Trump hinted at military action against neighboring Iran in support of anti-government protests there.
The military facility in al-Anbar Governorate was a linchpin of the US presence in Iraq after the 2003 invasion. In 2020, however, following the US assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani during his visit to the country, Baghdad called for the removal of foreign forces.
On Saturday, the Iraqi Defense Ministry released footage of top brass inspecting the empty airbase. A military committee overseeing the transition stressed Sunday that all such sites are now “under the full control of Iraqi security forces.”
The Pentagon did not issue a statement, though sources in US Central Command (CENTCOM) told media outlets that the airbase had been fully vacated by Friday.
The 2024 agreement called for a withdrawal by September of last year, with the Harir Air Base in the autonomous Kurdish province of Erbil to be vacated by September 2026. A contingent of 250 to 350 US personnel remained at Al-Asad beyond the deadline, citing instability in neighboring Syria.
The US mission in Iraq was framed as preventing a resurgence of the terrorist group Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS). However, the military committee said national forces were “fully capable of preventing the reappearance of IS in Iraq and its infiltration across borders.”
Baghdad’s efforts to curb domestic militia influence – including those linked with Iran – have long been undermined by the US presence, which militants viewed as a challenge to Iraqi sovereignty and a cause for armed struggle. The airbase regularly came under attack, especially during regional escalations.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi welcomed the withdrawal, saying it indicated “the consolidation of independence, stability, and national sovereignty in Iraq” and was a step toward “regional peace and stability.”
