- US forces fully withdraw Ain al-Asad airbase.
- Iraqi army assumes complete operational control.
- Withdrawal completes 2024 bilateral security agreement.
Baghdad (Washington Insider Magazines) January 19, 2026 - United States forces completed full withdrawal from Ain al-Asad Airbase in Anbar province handing complete control to Iraqi army units after coalition mission transition bilateral security partnership. US military maintains approximately 900 personnel at Erbil Airbase and other Kurdistan Regional Government facilities conducting counter-ISIS operations advisory missions Peshmerga forces support. Iraqi defence ministry confirmed final handover January 17 final C-17 Globemaster departure marking end 15-year presence western Iraq counterterrorism aviation hub operations.
Iraqi Joint Operations Command deputy commander Lieutenant General Qais al-Muhammadawi announced December 30 2025 coalition forces withdrawal commencement Ain al-Asad complete handover Iraqi security forces scheduled following week execution. US Central Command confirmed phased drawdown aligned 2024 US-Iraq bilateral security agreement Operation Inherent Resolve mission evolution advisory capacity nationwide 2,500 personnel consolidated primarily KRG territory execution.
Ain al-asad airbase complete handover iraqi army units
Ain al-Asad Airbase Al Anbar province 150km west Baghdad served principal US-led coalition aviation facility Apache helicopter operations F-16 close air support drone surveillance counter-ISIS missions 2014 territorial defeat. Iraqi army 5th Division Federal Police units assumed full perimeter security internal force protection aviation operations centre air traffic control tower base life support functions complete transition documentation.
Iraqi defence ministry spokesman confirmed January 17 US personnel exited base Iraqi armed forces assumed complete control small number soldiers remained briefly logistical challenges resolution security reasons detail restriction. Base infrastructure runways hangars fuel storage ammunition bunkers power generation transferred Iraqi ownership operation maintenance responsibility US Army Corps Engineers facilitation execution.
Erbil airbase us military consolidation kurdistan operations
US forces consolidated operations Erbil Airbase Harir Airfield Kurdistan Regional Government territory hosting 900 personnel M1A1 Abrams tanks HIMARS rocket systems counter-drone platoons aviation assets coalition headquarters Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve regional command coordination. KRG President Nechirvan Barzani confirmed continued US partnership counter-ISIS residual threat Peshmerga professionalisation Iranian militia containment border security coordination execution.
Erbil facilities support joint intelligence fusion centres targeting cells US Special Operations Command Central embedded advisors Peshmerga Counter-Terrorism Service operations Iranian-backed militia activities monitoring cross-border threat disruption documentation. US State Department Bureau Political-Military Affairs allocated $250 million annual Peshmerga assistance equipment training sustainment regional stability contribution KRG security force capacity enhancement execution.
US-iraq bilateral security agreement 2024 implementation
2024 US-Iraq bilateral security agreement signed Washington Baghdad outlined coalition-to-bilateral transition Operation Inherent Resolve military mission conclusion advisory partnership evolution 2025-2026 roadmap execution. US-Iraq Higher Military Coordination Committee chaired CENTCOM General Michael Kurilla Iraqi Joint Chiefs General Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah finalised Ain al-Asad closure Erbil consolidation September 2025-September 2026 phases documentation.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani confirmed parliamentary approval January 12 2026 sovereign partnership excludes permanent bases combat operations limits advisory training presence five-year renewable term parliamentary oversight execution. US Embassy Baghdad Political-Military Affairs Section facilitated $1.2 billion Foreign Military Sales M1A1 Abrams AH-64E Apache counter-drone systems sustainment packages congressional notification execution.
Iraqi joint operations command withdrawal announcement
Lieutenant General Qais al-Muhammadawi Iraqi Joint Operations Command deputy commander announced December 30 2025 press conference Baghdad coalition mission concluded bilateral memoranda understandings United States France Britain Italy expertise exchange intelligence sharing training equipment provision Iraqi sovereignty independence support security forces development. Muhammadawi confirmed Ain al-Asad full withdrawal next week Iraqi units handover timetable completion agreed three months prior Joint Operations Command conclusion coalition personnel absence base execution.
Iraqi army colonel confirmed US forces departure small number soldiers logistical challenges security reasons detail restriction Iraqi defence ministry statement documentation. Withdrawal achievement Iraqi capabilities sovereignty US coalition countries understanding bilateral mission transition Joint Operations Command coordination execution.
Kurdistan regional government security partnership continuation
KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani Interior Minister Reber Ahmed confirmed US military partnership continuation counterterrorism border security Iranian militia activities weapons smuggling prevention Peshmerga modernisation $450 million annual assistance coordination. Erbil Airbase hosts US Marine Corps artillery battery M777 howitzers counter-drone systems aviation squadron regional air picture fusion coalition partners NATO mission Iraq execution.
KRG Counter-Terrorism Service joint operations centres Erbil Sulaymaniyah intelligence sharing US SOCCENT advisors Iranian-backed militia cross-border operations coordination documentation. US Institute Peace KRG partnership assessment 85 percent Peshmerga operational readiness counterterrorism missions US equipment training contribution regional stability execution.
Operation inherent resolve mission advisory evolution
Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve transitioned combat operations advisory capacity 2,500 US personnel Iraq Syria 900 KRG 1,600 Baghdad Erbil consolidated counterterrorism missions execution. CJTF-OIR Commander confirmed ISIS territorial defeat sustained partner force capacity enablement US intelligence precision airstrikes close air support coordination documentation.
US Special Operations Command Central maintains 12 Operational Detachment-Alpha teams embedded Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service Golden Division Peshmerga village stability operations local security development execution. US Air Forces Central Command provides joint terminal attack controllers partner forces targeting intelligence fusion centres nationwide operations coordination maintenance.
Iraqi security forces base operations sustainment capacity
Iraqi Ministry Defence 5th Division Anbar operations readiness 95 percent manned equipped counter-insurgency counter-terrorism capabilities demonstrated joint patrols base security transitions documentation. Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service 2nd Brigade assumed Ain al-Asad intelligence fusion targeting cells operations centre 24/7 manned US advisors embedded transition completion execution.
US Central Command assessment Iraqi forces 92 percent operational self-sufficiency counter-ISIS missions casualty evacuation medical logistics independence major incident-free withdrawal execution. Iraqi Special Operations Forces CTIF assumed nationwide counterterrorism lead US advisors joint planning targeting coordination sustainment documentation.
US central command regional force posture adjustments
USCENTCOM announced Iraq drawdown Syria 900 personnel consolidation Jordan 3,000 rotational B-52 deployments Diego Garcia prepositioned equipment Middle East deterrence missions execution. CENTCOM Commander General Michael Kurilla Senate Armed Services Committee testimony January 14 2026 Iran-backed militia attacks reduction 92 percent US withdrawal period documentation.
USS Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group Arabian Sea Red Sea patrol Houthi threats neutralisation freedom navigation operations coordination execution. US Marine Corps 26th Expeditionary Unit Mediterranean crisis response surge capacity regional contingencies documentation.
Iraqi parliament security agreement ratification process
Iraqi Council Representatives approved US-Iraq bilateral security agreement January 12 2026 210-112 vote sovereign partnership national interests alignment framework execution. Prime Minister Sudani confirmed agreement parliamentary oversight KRG Parliament Erbil approval regional security cooperation US partnership counterterrorism Iranian militia containment coordination.
Kirkuk oil revenue sharing Erbil-Baghdad $350 million monthly transfers KRG budget stabilisation Iraqi federal forces coordination US Embassy Consulate General Erbil facilitation execution. US Institute Peace documented 78 percent Ninewa Sinjar population confidence joint security operations sectarian violence reduction 92 percent 2020-2025 documentation.
Counter-isis residual threat monitoring operations
US intelligence assessment ISIS 10,000-15,000 fighters Iraq Syria dispersed cells external operations capability reconstitution threat monitoring documentation. Iraqi CTS dismantled 28 ISIS cells 2025 162 high-value target arrests US intelligence targeting coordination execution.
Syrian Democratic Forces 8,500 ISIS detainees Al-Hol camps 45,000 family members US humanitarian assistance $250 million coalition funding documentation. CJTF-OIR external operations watch centres monitor ISIS Europe North America travel lone actor plots disruption coordination execution.
Foreign military sales iraq sustainment deliveries
US Foreign Military Sales Iraq $12.8 billion active cases M1A1 Abrams 500 units AH-64E Apache 36 aircraft counter-drone integrated air missile defence sustainment execution. Defense Security Cooperation Agency $950 million M1A1 tank sustainment Foreign Military Financing congressional notification documentation.
Iraqi Air Force F-16 Block 52 34 aircraft squadrons counter-insurgency US contractors maintenance training execution. RQ-21 Blackjack UAV 18 units Iraqi Army aviation surveillance reconnaissance sustainment documentation.