The Pentagon announced on Tuesday that it will reduce its military presence in Iraq, shifting responsibility for countering Daesh remnants to Baghdad. A senior US official said Iraqi forces will now command operations inside their own territory.
Under the new plan, the United States and its coalition partners will concentrate on Daesh fighters in Syria and move most of their personnel to Iraq’s Kurdistan region to support that mission.
At the start of 2025, the United States had about 2,500 troops in Iraq and more than 900 in Syria as part of the coalition formed in 2014 to confront Daesh. Once the transition is complete, fewer than 2,000 US troops will remain in Iraq, with most stationed in Irbil. Officials have not set a final figure or timeline.
American forces that stay in Baghdad will focus on routine bilateral security cooperation rather than counterterrorism operations.
“Daesh is no longer posing a sustained threat to the government of Iraq or to the US homeland from Iraqi territory. This is a major achievement that enables us to transition more responsibly to Iraq leading efforts for security in their own country,” a senior defense official said.
The move strengthens the Iraqi government, which has long argued that the US presence can fuel instability and attract attacks from Iran-aligned groups.
The United States previously agreed to hand over the Ain Al-Asad air base in western Anbar province, though that transfer remains in progress.
While Washington has also discussed reducing its presence in Syria, officials say any drawdown there will depend on conditions on the ground. The United States remains concerned about Daesh fighters still active in Syria and the risk that thousands of detainees could escape from prisons.
Syria’s President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, a former Al-Qaeda figure who led rebel forces that toppled Bashar Assad’s government last year, met with US President Donald Trump in Riyadh in May.
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