The United States successfully hit a Sept. 15 deadline to shift its force posture in Iraq. As part of a deal the Biden administration agreed to last year, U.S. troops left al Asad Air Base and the Baghdad airport, with some of the 2,500 U.S. forces departing Iraq altogether and the rest transitioning to Kurdistan in northern Iraq and Syria.
The move is being hailed as the end of the decade-long Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in Iraq. Relations will now pivot to a “bilateral security partnership” by fall 2026, according to U.S. sources.
Drawing down troops from Iraq is a good thing, but the big question is why any U.S. forces are staying at all.
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