Iraq’s government has confirmed that the US-led military coalition is preparing to withdraw its forces from the Kurdistan Region and transfer bases to Iraqi forces before a September 30 deadline.
The deadline was agreed this year between Baghdad and Washington as part of a broader agreement to transform the mission of the US-led coalition in Iraq from combat and advisory roles to bilateral security co-operation. The Kurdistan Region hosts several key coalition sites that have been used for training, logistics and air operations against ISIS remnants.
“Co-ordination is ongoing with the international coalition and work is under way to inventory the sites and hand them over to the competent Iraqi forces,” government spokesman Haider Al Aboodi said at a press conference.
“The work is proceeding at an organised pace toward completing this file on September 30, and these sites will be in the custody of Iraqi security agencies.” With just over seven weeks to the deadline, Mr Al Aboodi added that planning was being done at the highest military level and co-ordination teams from both sides were meeting regularly to ensure the process was completed without disruption.
Local officials described “unusual movement” of US forces in the Kurdistan Region in recent days, increasing speculation about an accelerated withdrawal. Early this month, the officials said convoys and equipment transfers had been observed in Erbil.
Mr Al Aboodi’s comments are the first official confirmation from Baghdad that the process in the region is on track for the September 30 target. He did not specify the number of sites being transferred or the number of personnel leaving.
Since 2014, the international coalition has operated in both federal Iraq and the Kurdistan Region to support Iraqi forces in the fight against ISIS. With the territorial defeat of the group, Baghdad has pushed for a shift to advisory and intelligence-sharing roles conducted through bilateral agreements rather than a coalition framework.
Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi’s government has framed the transition as a step toward full Iraqi sovereignty over security matters, while maintaining that co-operation with the US and other coalition partners would continue in areas such as air defence, intelligence and counter-terrorism.
Security analysts note that the handover in Kurdistan carries operational and political weight. Operationally, Iraqi forces will assume responsibility for bases previously used by coalition trainers. Politically, the move addresses long-standing demands from factions in parliament to set a clear timeline for the end of the coalition’s presence.
The Pentagon has not publicly detailed its withdrawal plan for the Kurdistan Region, but US officials have previously said any transition would be done “in co-ordination with the Iraqi government” and would not leave gaps in the fight against ISIS.
