Iraqi Defense Minister Confirms US Troop Withdrawal Agreement And International Coalition

US military illustration in Iraq. (Wikimedia Commons/Stafff. Lyndette Hoke/US Army)

JAKARTA - Iraq and the United States have agreed on a two-year plan for the withdrawal of the US-led anti-ISIS international coalition, but have not signed the final agreement, Iraqi Defense Minister said on Sunday.

The announcement by Defense Minister Thabet Al Abbasi on the pan-Arab Al Hadath satellite channel was the Iraqi government's first official statement regarding the agreement.

"After several rounds, seven or eight, for a higher military committee between Iraq and the US, we have achieved the principles we will use, namely the principle of withdrawal and transition of relations into a sustainable security partnership," Defense Minister Al Abbasi said..

During his visit to Washington in late July, Iraq and the US agreed the coalition would withdraw from bases in Baghdad and other regions in Iraq in September 2025, as well as from the northern Kurdistan autonomous region in September 2026, he said.

"We were surprised then during our meeting with US Secretary of Defense Austin who said the two years were not enough," Al Abbasi said.

"We reject the proposal regarding (a third year)," he added.

He further explained that the escalation in the region and the assassination of political leader Hamas Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in late July postponed the announcement.

"We are moving forward with our plan, and we have established an understanding, and maybe we will sign the agreement in the next few days," Defense Minister Al Abbasi explained without providing further details.

Baghdad and Washington have been involved in talks for months regarding troop withdrawals. Uncle Sam's country has about 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria, as part of the international coalition against ISIS.

The coalition forces have been attacked dozens by drone and rocket fire in Iraq and Syria, due to violence linked to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza since early October has attracted Iranian-backed armed groups across the Middle East.

US troops have launched retaliatory attacks against these groups in both countries.

ISIS captured parts of Iraq and Syria in 2014, before being defeated in Baghdad three years later and in Syria in 2019. However, its fighters continue to operate in remote desert areas, although they no longer control any territory.

Iraqi security forces said they were capable of dealing with the remnants of ISIS without help, as the group did not pose a significant threat.