Iraq and US reach agreement on gradual withdrawal of military forces, but agreement not yet signed

(Patria) - Iraq and the United States have agreed on the gradual withdrawal of the US-led anti-terrorist coalition, but have not yet signed a final agreement, said on Sunday the Iraqi defense minister, AFP reported.

The US has about 2,500 soldiers in Iraq and 900 in Syria as part of the international coalition against ISIS. They have been involved in months-long negotiations with Baghdad on the withdrawal of forces, but have not yet announced any timeline.

On Sunday, Iraqi Defense Minister Thabet al-Abbassi told the pan-Arab television channel Al-Hadath that the coalition will withdraw from bases in Baghdad and other parts of federal Iraq by September 2025 and from the autonomous region of northern Kurdistan by September 2026. The withdrawal is "two-phase" and "we may sign the agreement in the coming days," Abbassi said.

He added that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said at a meeting that "two years were not enough" to carry out the withdrawal.

"We rejected his proposal regarding (an extra) third year," Abbassi said.

Coalition forces have been targeted dozens of times by drones and rocket fire in Iraq and Syria, as violence linked to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza since early October has drawn in Iran-backed armed groups across the Middle East. US forces have carried out multiple retaliatory strikes against these groups in both countries.

ISIS seized parts of Iraq and Syria in 2014, and was defeated by Baghdad three years later and in Syria in 2019. But ISIS fighters still operate in remote desert areas, although they no longer control any territory. Iraqi security forces say they are capable of fighting the remnants of ISIS without assistance, as the group does not pose a significant threat.