The U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) reaffirmed in a statement its commitment to reducing its military mission in Iraq, a process that a U.S. official said will see Baghdad lead efforts to combat remaining ISIS cells within the country.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, explained that under the plan, the United States and coalition members will instead focus on fighting ISIS remnants in Syria and will relocate most of their personnel to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to carry out that mission.

The United States had nearly 2,500 troops in Iraq at the start of 2025 and more than 900 troops in Syria as part of the coalition formed in 2014 to fight ISIS during its invasion of both countries.

The official said that once the transition is complete, the total number of U.S. forces in Iraq will be less than 2,000 troops, most of whom will be in Erbil. He added that the final number has not yet been determined, without providing a timeline.

The remaining U.S. forces in Baghdad will focus on bilateral security cooperation issues, not on fighting ISIS.

A senior military official explained, “ISIS no longer poses a continuous threat to the Iraqi government or to the U.S. from Iraqi territory. This is a major achievement that enables us to transfer more responsibility to Iraq to lead security efforts in the country.”

The agreement supports the Baghdad government, which has long been concerned that U.S. forces could cause instability and have often been targeted by groups allied with Iran.

Last year, the United States agreed with Iraq to leave the Ain al-Asad airbase in western Anbar province and hand it over to Baghdad. The U.S. official said the transition is still “in progress” and declined to provide further details.