ALBAWABA- Iraq will retain a small contingent of 250 to 350 U.S. military advisers at Ain al-Asad airbase in Anbar province, even as most American forces consolidate in the Kurdish region, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani announced on October 20, 2025.
The move is designed to maintain oversight of potential ISIS threats from Syria amid a broader U.S. troop drawdown that began in September.
Fewer than 2,000 U.S. personnel are expected to remain in Iraq overall, with the majority stationed in Erbil, the Kurdish capital. This marks a shift from active combat support to advisory and training roles under a bilateral security partnership scheduled to fully transition by 2026.
The decision follows ongoing negotiations between Baghdad and Washington under a 2024 agreement to wind down the U.S.-led Operation Inherent Resolve coalition, which has operated in Iraq since 2014.
The coalition played a crucial role in defeating ISIS’s caliphate by 2019, but low-level insurgent activity and regional instability justify a continued, albeit reduced, presence.
Prime Minister al-Sudani highlighted Iraq’s desire to assert sovereignty, amid pressures from Iran-backed militias that have previously attacked U.S. bases, resulting in casualties.
Despite calls for a full U.S. withdrawal, including anti-American parliamentary resolutions after the 2020 killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, there are no immediate plans for a complete exit.
Pentagon officials stressed that the pivot to Kurdistan will allow continued counterterrorism operations without violating Iraqi federal authority.
Forces are relocating from sites like Ain al-Asad to Harir airbase in Erbil, where Kurdish authorities welcome the consolidation as essential for stability against ISIS remnants and Turkish incursions.
