US ends 23-year military presence as it leaves nine bases in Iraq

US and coalition forces are set to complete their withdrawal from Iraq on September 30, Iraqi officials said, leaving no foreign troops or bases on Iraqi soil, while the Kurdistan Region voiced concern over its air defenses.

US and international coalition forces will complete their withdrawal from Iraq on September 30, Iraqi Armed Forces spokesman Sabah al-Numan told the state news agency INA, adding that no foreign troops or military bases will remain on Iraqi territory. The director of the prime minister’s office, Abdul Amir al-Shammari, earlier said the headquarters of the US-led coalition would close on that date. Security ties between Baghdad and Washington are expected to continue bilaterally, covering intelligence sharing, coordination and arms programs.

US troops at Ain al-Asad Air Base in Anbar (file, 2018)

The United States, which invaded Iraq in March 2003, had nine known military bases in the country, including Victory Base at Baghdad International Airport, Taji near the capital, Ain al-Asad and Habbaniyah in Anbar, K1 in Kirkuk, Qayyarah near Mosul, and Harir Air Base and Erbil International Airport in the Kurdistan Region. The US kept about 166,000 troops in Iraq until December 2011 and nearly 5,000 under a strategic agreement signed in 2014.

Satellite image of Ain al-Asad Air Base (file, January 2020)

The Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga Ministry said the region had faced more than 1,000 drone and ballistic missile attacks during the recent US-Iran tensions and raised concerns about its air defense capacity. Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani warned that the US pullout could leave the region vulnerable.