US and Iraq Agree to End Coalition Military Mission Against ISIS by 2025
The United States announced an agreement with Iraq on Friday to conclude the American-led coalition’s military operations against the Islamic State (ISIS) by next year. This plan includes the departure of US forces from certain bases where they have maintained a presence for nearly two decades. However, the Biden administration has not disclosed how many of the 2,500 troops currently stationed in Iraq will remain, nor whether this marks a complete withdrawal.
Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh acknowledged changes in the US military footprint in Iraq but withheld specifics, stating, “Our presence will be shifting.” The announcement comes at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East, particularly with conflicts escalating between Israel and Iranian-backed groups, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Hamas in Gaza. US forces in Iraq have frequently come under attack from militias supported by Iran, with those attacks intensifying over the past year.
For years, Iraqi officials have intermittently called for a reduction of coalition forces, and talks to scale back the US presence have been ongoing. The agreement will follow a two-phase approach, beginning with the termination of coalition operations against ISIS by September 2025 and the departure of troops from long-occupied bases. Following the US election in November, forces will begin leaving Ain al-Asad Airbase and Baghdad International Airport. Some troops will relocate to Hareer Base in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.
In the second phase, through 2026, US forces will continue supporting counter-ISIS operations in Syria from Iraq. While the US military’s role will shift towards a bilateral security relationship with Iraq, officials did not clarify the future number of American troops remaining. Kurdish regional authorities have expressed interest in maintaining a US presence at Hareer Base beyond 2026.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani has framed this agreement as a step toward securing Iraq’s future, citing confidence in the nation’s security forces that have defeated ISIS remnants. However, the continued presence of US troops has been a point of political contention for Sudani, as his government faces growing Iranian influence. Asaib Ahl al-Haq, an Iran-backed militia, praised the planned coalition exit, with its leader, Qais Khazali, commending the government’s efforts to remove international forces.
This latest agreement represents the third major transition of US military operations in Iraq over the last 20 years. The initial invasion in 2003 saw more than 170,000 American troops deployed at its peak in 2007, before the Obama administration negotiated a large-scale withdrawal, leaving only a small contingent behind by 2011. The rise of ISIS in 2014 led to the return of US forces to support Iraqi security forces. Since ISIS lost control of its claimed territory, around 2,500 US troops have remained in Iraq, focusing on training and counterterrorism efforts, as well as acting as a counterbalance to Iran’s regional influence.
