The plan, which has largely been agreed but requires final approval from Washington and Baghdad, calls for the withdrawal of hundreds of troops by September 2025 and the rest by the end of 2026, Reuters reported, citing familiar sources.
“The agreement has already been reached, it only remains to be determined when it will be officially announced,” the US official said.
The United States and Iraq are also seeking to establish a new consultative relationship that could include some U.S. forces remaining in Iraq even after the main withdrawal.
The agreement was initially scheduled to be announced several weeks ago, but due to the deteriorating situation in the Middle East related to Israel’s war in Gaza, the decision was postponed to resolve outstanding issues.
Several sources say the deal could be announced as early as this month.
Negotiations leading to the deal lasted more than six months and were launched by Prime Minister al-Sudani in January following attacks by Iranian-backed militant groups on US troops stationed in Iraqi bases.
The United States currently has about 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in neighboring Syria as part of a coalition formed in 2014 to fight the Islamic State group. The coalition also includes troops from Germany, France, Spain and Italy.
Iraqi authorities say they are capable of dealing with any remaining threats.
Under the plan, coalition forces will completely abandon the Ain al-Asad airbase in Iraq’s western Anbar province and significantly reduce their presence in Baghdad by September 2025. U.S. and other coalition troops are expected to remain in Erbil in northern Kurdistan until late 2026 to support operations against the Islamic State in Syria.
The exact details of the troop withdrawal remain secret because of its military significance. As the US official noted, the two-year period will allow the US to “safeguard” and make adjustments if the situation in the region changes.
Earlier, Kursor reported that the Pentagon said the US is ready to take necessary measures in the event of a threat to its forces in Iraq or Syria.
