Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani discussed with the acting US Ambassador in Baghdad, Stephen Fagan, the reduction of US troops at the Ain al-Asad base in Anbar province. The meeting addressed the mechanism for reducing troop numbers and shifting operations to a limited bilateral framework within the Kurdistan Region, in line with field realities, enhancing national sovereignty and reflecting the achieved security stability in the country. Al-Mashhadani emphasized that sustainable security stability cannot be achieved without economic prosperity, highlighting the importance of US companies entering the Iraqi market to support the private sector and provide wide employment opportunities for the national workforce. Both sides affirmed the strong relationship between Iraq and the United States and their keenness to develop it to serve mutual interests and enhance cooperation in political, economic, and security fields.

The meeting concluded by stressing that developing Iraq’s relations with its neighbors is fundamental to enhancing regional stability and consolidating principles of good neighborliness, serving the future of Iraq and the peoples of the region. Earlier, a US Defense Department official stated that Washington continues to review and adjust its troop presence in Iraq as needed, consistent with the international coalition’s mission to defeat ISIS in Iraq. The official added that Washington is committed to ending the coalition’s military mission in Iraq by September 2025 but will continue supporting ISIS defeat operations in Syria from bases inside Iraq until September 2026. After the transitional period, the US will maintain a bilateral security cooperation relationship with Iraq. The first phase of the US-led international coalition withdrawal from Iraq has begun, with the first US military convoy leaving Ain al-Asad base towards Syria last Monday.

The withdrawal schedule includes pulling coalition forces from Ain al-Asad and Baghdad by the end of September 2025, with some forces relocating to Erbil, the capital of Kurdistan Region, and Kuwait. The troop numbers will gradually decrease from about 2,000 to less than 500 soldiers in Erbil.