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US-led troops to withdraw from Iraq by 2026 under new deal, officials say

The plan would see the first troops leave by September next year, with the remainder departing by the end of 2026, according to reports

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US forces on patrol in Iraq in 2003 (Photo: Scott Nelson/Getty)
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The US and Iraq have reached an agreement that will see US-led coalition forces withdraw from Iraq by the end of next year, according to senior officials.

The plan would see would see hundreds of troops leave by September 2025, with the remainder departing by the end of the following year, the sources told Reuters news agency – although some could remain as advisers.

“We have an agreement, its now just a question of when to announce it,” a senior US official said.

An official announcement was initially scheduled for weeks ago but was postponed due to regional escalation related to Israel’s war in Gaza and to finalise some remaining details, the sources said. The announcement could come within a month.

BAGHDAD, IRAQ - MAY 30: U.S. Army soldiers watch as fellow Coalition soldiers pass by near the entrance to the International Zone on May 30, 2021 in Baghdad, Iraq. Coalition forces based in Baghdad's International Zone are part of the U.S.-led Military Advisor Group of 13 nations supporting the Iraqi Security Forces. The United States currently maintains 2,500 military personnel in Iraq as part of Operation Inherent Resolve. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
US Army soldiers near the entrance to the International Zone in Baghdad in 2021 (Photo: John Moore/Getty)

The sources include five US officials, two officials from other coalition nations, and three Iraqi officials, all speaking on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to discuss the matter publicly, Reuters reported.

Farhad Alaaldin, foreign affairs advisor to the Iraqi prime minister, said technical talks with Washington on the coalition drawdown had finished after more than six months of discussions.

“We are now on the brink of transitioning the relationship between Iraq and members of the international coalition to a new level, focusing on bilateral relations in military, security, economic, and cultural areas,” the Iraqi official said.

Some US troops could remain in Iraq in an advisory capacity, according to the report.

FILE - In this June 23, 2014 file photo, fighters from the Islamic State group parade in a commandeered Iraqi security forces armored vehicle in the northern city of Mosul, Iraq. It has become an Israeli mantra throughout the latest war in Gaza: Hamas is ISIS. Since the bloody Hamas attack on Oct. 7 that triggered the war, Israeli leaders and commanders have likened the Palestinian militant group to the Islamic State group. They point to Hamas??? brutal slaughter of hundreds of civilians and compare their Gaza war to the U.S.-led campaign to defeat IS in Iraq and Syria. (AP Photo, File)
US forces led a coalition against Islamic State fighters – here pictured in Mosul in 2014 – as the militant group attempted to establish a caliphate in Iraq and Syria (Photo: AP)

The US initially invaded Iraq in 2003, toppling dictator Saddam Hussein before withdrawing in 2011. It returned in 2014 at the head of the coalition to fight Islamic State.

The US has approximately 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in neighbouring Syria as part of the coalition. It also involves troops from nations such as Germany, France, Spain and Italy.

Territory seized by Isis has largely been reclaimed, although branches of the extremist group continue to carry out attacks across the Middle East and beyond, including an assault on a Moscow concert hall this year that killed at least 143 people.

US bases in Iraq have been repeatedly attacked by Iran-backed militant groups. Tehran has stated its intention to force the withdrawal of US forces from the country.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has stated that, while he appreciates their help, US troops have become a magnet for instability, frequently targeted and responding with strikes often not co-ordinated with the Iraqi government.

Under the reported terms of the plan, all coalition forces would leave the Ain al-Asad airbase in western Anbar province and significantly reduce their presence in Baghdad by September 2025.

Additional reporting by agencies

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