The pullout follows a 2024 agreement under which the United States and Iraq committed to winding down the coalition’s mission in Iraq by September 2025. Under that framework, U.S. troops began departing key bases across the country, while a limited number of military advisers and support personnel remained temporarily to assist Iraqi forces. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani had previously said that while the agreement initially called for a full withdrawal from Ain al-Asad by September, security developments in neighboring Syria necessitated the short-term presence of a small U.S. advisory unit numbering between 250 and 350 personnel. Iraqi officials have now confirmed that all U.S. personnel have departed the base.

Following the withdrawal, Prime Minister al-Sudani visited Ain al-Asad Air Base in Anbar province, signaling what his office described as a new phase in Iraq’s national security posture. During the visit, he reviewed operational readiness and emphasized the Iraqi army’s ability to independently secure the base and surrounding areas. Al-Sudani also toured the Al-Qaim region near the Syrian border, a key transit point that has historically been vulnerable to militant activity, to assess border security and counterterrorism preparedness.

Ain al-Asad has long been one of the largest and most strategically important military installations in Iraq, hosting U.S. and coalition forces since the fight against Islamic State intensified in 2014. Its transfer to full Iraqi control is seen by the government as both a symbolic and practical step toward ending the foreign military footprint while maintaining pressure on extremist groups.

While Iraqi leaders have welcomed the withdrawal as a reaffirmation of sovereignty, security analysts caution that the evolving situation in Syria and the continued threat posed by Islamic State remnants will test the capacity of Iraqi forces. Baghdad has insisted that future security cooperation with the United States will focus on training, intelligence sharing, and advisory support rather than combat deployments.