Iraq seeks withdrawal of US-led coalition by 2025, Sources say

Shafaq News/ Iraq aims for the US-led military coalition to start withdrawing in September and to officially end its mission by September 2025, with some American troops potentially remaining in advisory roles, Iraqi sources told Reuters.

The United States and Iraq are set to initiate talks on ending the US-led international military coalition in Iraq and transitioning to bilateral relations, four sources said. This move marks progress in a process that was stalled by the Gaza war.

Three sources told Reuters that the US Ambassador to Iraq, Alina Romanowski, conveyed the message in a letter to Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein on Wednesday. The US has dropped preconditions that attacks by Iran-backed Iraqi militant groups must first stop, these sources added.

Iraq's foreign ministry confirmed that an "important" letter had been handed over and that the prime minister would study it carefully without providing further details.

The talks are expected to take several months, if not longer, with no immediate withdrawal of US troops.

The United States currently has 2,500 troops in Iraq, advising and assisting local forces to prevent ISIS resurgence. Hundreds of troops from other mostly European countries are also in Iraq as part of the US-led coalition established to fight ISIS.

The coalition's presence in Iraq has faced increasing pressure. Iraq, a rare ally of both Tehran and Washington, has witnessed escalating attacks between pro-Iranian Iraqi forces and US forces since the Gaza war began, with these militants seeking to pressure the US over its support for Israel.

US troops in Iraq and Syria have been attacked about 150 times based in Iraq, leading to a series of US retaliatory strikes, the latest of which occurred on Tuesday. The escalating violence has prompted Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to call for a swift exit of coalition forces via negotiations. This process, initially started last year, was stalled by the Gaza war.

Washington had been reluctant to negotiate a potential withdrawal under attack, concerned that it would appear coerced and embolden regional rivals like Iran. However, a realization that the attacks were unlikely to stop and that the status quo was leading to steady escalation changed the calculus, two sources told Reuters.

"The US and Iraq are close to agreement on starting the Higher Military Commission dialogue that was announced back in August," a US official said. This commission will allow for a joint evaluation of Iraqi security forces' capacity to fight Islamic State and shape the future bilateral security relationship.

"We have been discussing this for months. The timing is not related to recent attacks. The US will maintain full right of self-defense during the talks," the official added.

Iraqi and US officials hope that formally initiating the talks could reduce political pressure on Sudani's government and potentially decrease attacks on US forces.