U.S.-led coalition to stay in Iraq until 2025, Kurdistan until 2026

QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The U.S.-led Global Coalition forces will remain in Iraq until September 2025 and in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) until 2026, sources said on Friday.

Coalition troops are expected to stay in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), until late 2026 to continue supporting operations against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria.

By September 2025, the troops will exit the Ain al-Assad airbase in Anbar Governorate and significantly reduce their presence in Baghdad, sources told Reuters.

Citing five U.S. officials, three Coalition officials, and two Iraqi government sources, Reuters reported that the U.S. and Iraqi governments have reached an understanding on the withdrawal of the U.S. forces from Iraq.

The sources, who wished to remain anonymous, indicated that hundreds of American troops would depart Iraq by September 2025, with the agreement potentially being made public within a month.

By Jwan Shekaki