US Troops Withdraw from Al-Asad Airbase in Iraq
The Iraqi Ministry of Defense confirmed the development in a statement on Saturday, January 17. The statement clarified that the security and operational management of the Ain al-Asad Airbase are now entirely under the jurisdiction of Iraqi forces.
This base gained global attention in 2020 following the US assassination of Qasem Soleimani, head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force, in Baghdad. In retaliation, Iran launched multiple ballistic missile strikes on the base. The attack caused significant structural damage, and the US later acknowledged that many service members suffered traumatic brain injuries (TBI) as a result of the strikes.
The withdrawal is part of a 2024 bilateral agreement between Iraq and the United States, which outlined a phased reduction of US military presence.
A colonel in the Iraqi army told the media that while the majority of US troops have left, a small contingent remains temporarily to finalize logistical and technical handovers. These remaining personnel will depart once these tasks are completed. Further details have been withheld for security reasons.
While the exact start date of this phase of withdrawal was not specified, previous reports indicated that hundreds of US troops were scheduled to leave by September 2025, with a complete handover expected by 2026.
