The Iraqi Ministry of Defense announced today, Saturday, January 17, 2026, the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the Ain al-Asad Airbase.
This base is one of the largest airbases in western Iraq, which had housed International Coalition forces led by the United States, following the Iraqi army’s full takeover of control.
According to a statement from the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, as reported by the Iraqi News Agency, the Chief of Staff of the Iraqi Army, Lieutenant General Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah, supervised today the distribution of tasks and duties among the military branches and formations within the base, following the U.S. withdrawal and the Iraqi army’s full management of the base.
It is noted that the governments of Washington and Baghdad reached an agreement in 2024 regarding plans to withdraw U.S.-led coalition forces from Iraqi territory. While the exact date for the start of withdrawal operations was unknown, the original plan stipulated the departure of hundreds of U.S. troops during September 2025, with the remaining forces set to depart by the end of 2026.
Over the years, the Ain al-Asad base hosted U.S. and International Coalition forces. The base was subjected to several attacks by armed factions known for their ties to Iran during periods of regional tension, including the attacks that occurred after the U.S. assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in 2020.
For his part, a colonel in the Iraqi army indicated that a limited number of military personnel remain at the base due to some logistical issues, considering that this does not change the completion of the withdrawal process in general, and explaining that the lack of further details is due to security reasons.
The Iraqi Ministry of Defense announced, via its official Facebook page, that the Chief of Staff visited the base, accompanied by the Assistant for Operations, the commanders of the land, air, and army aviation forces, the Assistant Director of Military Intelligence, the head of the Security Media Cell, and directors of various branches.
Lieutenant General Yarallah also followed the phases of the security file handover within the base, directly supervising the distribution of orders to the military formations that will assume positioning and necessary operation duties, including the 65th Special Forces Brigade, in addition to units from the Air Force and Iraqi Army Aviation.
The visit included inspecting all sections of the base to secure service facilities and infrastructure, alongside administrative and logistical aspects, ensuring a high level of readiness to successfully carry out base security duties.
The Chief of Staff of the Iraqi Army directed the relevant authorities at the base to enhance efforts and improve the coordination of joint work, emphasizing the necessity of cooperation among all sectors responsible for securing the base and utilizing its capabilities and important strategic location, declaring the importance of working with a single-team spirit and distributing tasks in an organized manner to ensure the protection and security of Ain al-Asad base given its importance in the Iraqi military sector of responsibility.
The United States agreed with Iraq in 2024 on withdrawal plans (Associated Press)
United News Network – UNN Arabic
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