Iraq plans to begin reducing US-led forces starting September, sources say

Iraq wants troops from a US-led military coalition to begin withdrawing in September and to formally end the coalition's work by September 2025, four Iraqi sources said, with some US forces likely to remain in a newly negotiated advisory capacity.

The Iraqi position is being discussed with US officials in Washington this week at a security summit, and there is no formal agreement on ending the coalition or any associated timetable yet, the Iraqi sources and US officials said.

US State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller told a news briefing that both sides were meeting in Washington this week to determine how to transition the US-led coalition's mission based on the threat posed by Islamic State, adding he had no further details.

The US currently has around 2,500 troops in Iraq at the head of a more than 80-member coalition that was formed in 2014 to repel Islamic State as it rampaged across Iraq and Syria.

They are housed at three main bases, one in Baghdad, one in western Anbar province, and another in the northern Kurdistan region.

It is unclear how many troops would leave under a deal, with Iraqi sources saying they expected most to eventually depart, but US officials saying many may remain under a newly negotiated advise and assist mission.

US officials are keen to have some military footprint in Iraq on a bilateral basis, in part to help support its presence across the border in Syria, where it has around 900 troops.

The issue is highly politicized, with mainly Iran-aligned Iraqi political factions looking to show that they are pushing out the country's one-time occupier again, while US officials want to avoid giving Iran and its allies a win.

There are also concerns about Islamic State's ability to regroup.

An agreement to draw down the coalition could be a political win for Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who has been under pressure from Iran-aligned factions to push out US forces but has sought to do so in a way that balances Iraq's delicate position as an ally of both Washington and Tehran.

Reuters