The Pentagon reaffirmed on Tuesday its commitment to scaling back the US military mission in Iraq, with Baghdad set to take greater responsibility for fighting remaining Daesh forces within its borders.
According to a US official who spoke anonymously, the plan involves the US and its coalition partners shifting their focus to combating Daesh remnants in Syria, while moving most US troops to Iraq’s Kurdistan region to support this effort.
At the start of 2025, about 2,500 US troops were stationed in Iraq and over 900 in Syria as part of the coalition formed in 2014 to counter Daesh’s advances in both countries. Once the transition is complete, US forces in Iraq will drop to fewer than 2,000, mostly based in Irbil, though the exact number and timeline remain undecided. The remaining US troops in Baghdad will focus on routine security cooperation rather than direct counter-Daesh operations.
A senior defense official highlighted that Daesh no longer poses a sustained threat to Iraq’s government or the US homeland from Iraqi territory, calling the shift a significant achievement that allows Iraq to take the lead in securing its own country. This move strengthens the Iraqi government’s position, which has long been concerned that US forces might attract instability and attacks from Iran-backed groups.
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