ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - US troops will begin withdrawing from Baghdad to Erbil on Saturday, in accordance with the 2021 US-Iraq agreement, senior sources told Rudaw on Friday.
Saturday’s drawdown from the Iraqi capital will mark the first phase of the US military’s withdrawal from federal areas. American forces will depart from Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, Baghdad International Airport, and the Joint Operations Command headquarters, according to two senior Iraqi security sources who spoke to Rudaw on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
Abdullah al-Jughaifi, security and defense committee advisor in Anbar Provincial Council, told Rudaw that the Saturday withdrawal of US troops “will also include Ain al-Assad in Anbar."
The Ain al-Assad base hosts the most training operations of the US-led international coalition against the Islamic State.
US and Iraq signed an agreement in 2021 to transition their security relationship into an advise and assist role. The deal was triggered by Baghdad's anger over US actions that the Iraqi government deemed a violation of its sovereignty - most notably the assassination of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani and deputy chief of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi) Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in Baghdad in early 2020.
It is not clear if the withdrawal will include other member states of the global coalition.
A spokesperson for the US embassy in Baghdad clarified late Friday that US troops will not completely leave Baghdad on Saturday.
"Reports suggesting U.S. forces will vacate Baghdad completely starting tomorrow are not accurate," the spokesperson told Rudaw in response to an email.
"In accordance with the September 27, 2024, Joint Statement announcing the timeline for the end of the military mission of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in Iraq, CJTF-OIR is currently proceeding with the agreed-upon transition timeline for coalition forces to end military operations in Iraq," they added.
Formed in 2014 under former US President Barack Obama, the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS launched its operations in Iraq with airstrikes, later expanding to include training and advising Iraqi forces. The coalition comprises nearly 89 countries and international organizations, including the US, UK, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, and several Middle Eastern nations, contributing military personnel, equipment, and financial support.
As of mid-2025, the US maintains approximately 2,500 troops in Iraq.
Malik Mohammed contributed to this article.
Last updated at 10:34 pm