ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United States and the global anti-Islamic State (ISIS) coalition will reduce their military mission in Iraq in line with a 2024 agreement with Baghdad, the Pentagon said early Wednesday.
“The United States and Coalition partners will reduce its military mission in Iraq,” said Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Sean Parnell in a statement, adding that the step follows the US President's “guidance and in alignment with the U.S.-Iraq Higher Military Commission and the joint statement issued on Sept. 27, 2024.”
Baghdad and Washington said in a joint statement on September 27, 2024, that the coalition’s mission would conclude within a year, “no later than the end of September 2025,” and transition into “bilateral security partnerships in a manner that supports Iraqi forces and maintains pressure on ISIS.”
Parnell said the reduction “reflects our combined success in fighting ISIS and marks an effort to transition to a lasting U.S.-Iraq security partnership in accordance with U.S. national interests, the Iraqi Constitution, and the U.S.-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement.” The agreement sets the framework for cooperation across defense, politics, energy, and the economy.
Formed in 2014 under former US President Barack Obama, the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS launched its operations in Iraq with airstrikes, later expanding to include training and advising Iraqi forces. The coalition comprises nearly 89 countries and international organizations, including the US, UK, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, and several Middle Eastern nations, contributing military personnel, equipment, and financial support.
As of mid-2025, the US maintained approximately 2,500 troops in Iraq.
“The U.S. Government will continue close coordination with the Government of Iraq and Coalition members to ensure a responsible transition,” said the Pentagon spokesperson in the overnight statement.
Rudaw understands that US troops have begun withdrawing from their bases in areas under the federal government to Erbil.