Pentagon to Shafaq News: Iraq combat role ends, bases repurposed
Shafaq News – Washington
The US-led Coalition’s mission to defeat
ISIS in Iraq remains the framework guiding Washington’s military presence, a US
Department of Defense official said on Monday.
Speaking to Shafaq News, the official
explained that the United States is “reviewing and, as appropriate, adjusting
its force posture in Iraq” in line with the joint US-Iraq statement on
transitioning the coalition’s mission.
“We are committed to ending the
coalition’s military role inside Iraq by September 2025, while continuing to
support operations against ISIS in Syria from bases in Iraq until September
2026,” the official stated. He added that, beyond the transition, Washington
will maintain a bilateral security cooperation relationship with Baghdad.
The first phase of the withdrawal has
already started, with a convoy leaving Ain al-Asad base for Syria earlier this
week. Some forces have been relocated to Erbil and Kuwait, with overall troop
levels expected to fall from about 2,000 to fewer than 500 by September 2026.
For Shafaq News, Mostafa Hashem,
Washington, D.C.
