The United States and Iraq have reached an agreement on a plan for the withdrawal of American-led coalition forces from Iraq, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.
Sources said the plan has been broadly agreed upon but requires final approval from both countries’ capitals and a date to be announced. Under this, hundreds of soldiers will leave by September 2025, while the remaining soldiers will leave by the end of 2026.
A senior US official said: “We have an agreement, now it’s just a question of when to announce it.”
The US and Iraq also want to establish a new consultative relationship, under which some American troops could remain in Iraq even after the withdrawal of troops.
Sources said the official announcement was originally scheduled to be made a few weeks ago but was postponed due to regional tensions related to Israel’s war in Gaza and to sort out some remaining details.
The sources include five US officials, two officials from other coalition countries and three Iraqi officials, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
Several sources said the deal could be announced this month.
Iraqi Prime Minister’s foreign affairs adviser Farhad Aladdin said technical talks with Washington regarding the withdrawal of coalition forces have ended.
“We are now on the verge of taking relations between Iraq and members of the international coalition to a new level, with a focus on bilateral ties in the military, security, economic and cultural fields,” he said.
He did not comment on details of the plan and the U.S.-led coalition did not respond to emailed questions.
The agreement follows more than six months of talks between Baghdad and Washington, initiated by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in January at a time when US forces stationed in Iraqi bases were coming under attack by Iran-backed Iraqi armed groups.
Three American soldiers were killed and dozens wounded in rocket and drone attacks, prompting several rounds of deadly US retaliation that threatened government efforts to stabilise Iraq after decades of conflict.
The US has about 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in neighbouring Syria, part of a coalition formed in 2014 to fight Islamic State as it wreaks havoc in both countries.
The group once controlled about a third of Iraq and Syria but was defeated territorially in Iraq in late 2017 and in Syria in 2019. Alaeddin said Iraq had demonstrated its ability to deal with any remaining threat.
The US first invaded Iraq in 2003, ousting dictator Saddam Hussein, but withdrew in 2011 but returned in 2014 at the head of a coalition to fight Islamic State.
Other nations, including Germany, France, Spain and Italy, are also sending hundreds of troops to the coalition.
Under the plan, all coalition forces will leave the Ain al-Asad airbase in western Anbar province and significantly reduce their presence in Baghdad by September 2025.
US and other coalition troops are expected to remain in Erbil in the semi-autonomous northern Kurdistan region for about a year, until the end of 2026, to facilitate ongoing operations against Islamic State in Syria.
The exact details of the military activities are being kept secret due to military sensitivities.
This reduction would mark a significant change in Washington’s military posture in the region.
Though their focus is primarily on combating the Islamic State, U.S. officials believe their presence also serves as a strategic bulwark against Iranian influence.
The situation has become more important, according to U.S. officials, as regional confrontation between Israel and Iran grows, and U.S. forces in Iraq have shot down rockets and drones fired toward Israel in recent months.
Prime Minister al-Sudani has said that, though he appreciates their help, American troops have become a magnet for instability, often being targeted and often carrying out attacks without coordination with the Iraqi government.
When the deal is announced, it will be a political victory for al-Sudani as it will balance Iraq’s status as an ally of both Washington and Tehran. The first phase of the withdrawal will end a month before Iraqi parliamentary elections scheduled for October 2025.
One U.S. official said the two-year timeframe provides “breathing room” for the United States, allowing for possible adjustments if the regional situation changes.
The State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad did not respond to requests for comment.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
