The remaining U.S. troops in northern Iraq are preparing to leave by September 30 while major armed groups signal that they will not disarm on the Iraqi government’s schedule. The converging deadlines leave Baghdad managing militia power, regional attacks and the transition from a coalition mission to possible bilateral cooperation. Hundreds of U.S. personnel are expected to redeploy elsewhere in the region as air-defense equipment is removed from bases in Iraqi Kurdistan.
U.S. and Iraqi officials agreed in 2024 to wind down the coalition mission against the Islamic State group. A U.S. military official said the remaining hundreds of troops in northern Iraq would leave by September 30. Most personnel are expected to redeploy to Jordan and other regional locations. Air-defense and other military equipment will also be removed from the remaining bases.
The Iraqi government linked the withdrawal to an effort to bring non-state armed groups under state control. Several Iran-backed militias have said they do not plan to disarm by the deadline. Those groups have attacked U.S.-linked targets and coordinated with Houthi forces in the wider regional conflict. Officials said a conventional bilateral security arrangement could be negotiated after the coalition mission ends.
Iraq invited a renewed U.S.-led mission in 2014 after the Islamic State group captured large areas. The group has been reduced to scattered cells but has not disappeared. Iraqi militias vary in political status, command relationships and degree of alignment with Iran. Leaving bases can reduce direct exposure of U.S. personnel while also reducing local air-defense and response capacity.
The record remains incomplete in defined ways. The future bilateral arrangement and the Iraqi government’s enforcement plan were not defined. The next observable steps are Completion of the September 30 withdrawal. Any Iraqi legal or security action involving armed groups after the deadline.