Pentagon: No timeline to withdraw troops from Iraq yet
Shafaq News/ A Pentagon official confirmed, on Friday, that the United States is aware of media reports regarding possible plans to withdraw US troops from Iraq but has not set any specific timelines.
The US government is "not ready yet to announce any dates," the official stated in a press briefing.
Earlier, Reuters reported that the United States and Iraq have reached a preliminary agreement on the withdrawal of US-led Global Coalition forces from Iraq, quoting sources familiar with ongoing negotiations.
Sources said that the plan, which has been broadly agreed but awaits final approval and a formal announcement, would see several hundred troops depart by September 2025, with the remaining forces set to leave by the end of 2026.
“We have an agreement. It is now just a question of when to announce it,” a senior US official said.
Discussions are also underway to establish a new advisory role that could see a smaller number of US troops remain in Iraq following the drawdown, sources added.
An official announcement was initially expected weeks ago but was delayed due to regional tensions stemming from Israel's war in Gaza and remaining logistical details, according to sources, including five US officials, two Coalition representatives, and three Iraqi officials, all speaking on condition of anonymity.
Technical negotiations between Baghdad and Washington, initiated by Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani in January, have concluded. Farhad Alaaldin, the prime minister's foreign affairs adviser, said the talks marked a shift in the US-Iraq relationship, emphasizing future bilateral cooperation in military, security, economic, and cultural sectors. Alaaldin did not comment on the specifics of the plan.
The agreement follows months of rising tensions, including attacks by Iran-backed Iraqi factions on US forces, which have killed three American troops and injured dozens more. US forces have retaliated with airstrikes, complicating efforts to stabilize Iraq after years of conflict.
The US currently has 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in neighboring Syria, part of a Coalition formed in 2014 to combat ISIS. While ISIS has been territorially defeated in Iraq since 2017, Us forces remain to support operations against the group in Syria.
Under the terms of the deal, Coalition forces will leave the Ain al-Asad airbase in al-Anbar governorate and scale back operations in Baghdad by September 2025.
Some US and Coalition forces are expected to remain in Erbil until the end of 2026 to support ongoing operations in Syria.
Prime Minister Al-Sudani has emphasized that US troops, while helpful, have become a target for instability, with attacks on their bases prompting uncoordinated retaliatory strikes. For the US, the two-year timeline allows flexibility for adjustments should the regional security situation evolve, a US official said.
