Iraq, US agree to scale back Ain al-Asad presence, shift operations to Erbil

BAGHDAD — Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani said Monday that Iraq and the United States agreed to reduce American troop levels at Ain al-Asad base and move their operations into a limited bilateral framework in the Kurdistan Region.

Al-Mashhadani made the announcement after meeting with Steven Fagin, chargé d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

A statement from his office said the two sides discussed “reducing the number of forces at Ain al-Asad base and converting the work to a limited bilateral framework inside the Kurdistan Region, in line with the requirements of the field reality, in a way that enhances national sovereignty and reflects the security stability achieved in the country.”

The speaker added that “sustainable security stability cannot be achieved without economic prosperity,” stressing “the importance of American companies entering the Iraqi market to support the private sector and provide wide job opportunities for the national workforce.”

Earlier this month, Hussein Allawi, adviser to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, said Iraq will end the mission of the U.S.-led coalition in September 2025 and close its headquarters in Baghdad and Ain al-Asad base. He said the transition will continue under the U.S.-Iraq Strategic Agreement and move into bilateral partnerships, including operations connected to Erbil and northeast Syria.