Iraq Assumes Full Control of Al-Asad Airbase After US Troop Withdrawal
US forces have withdrawn from Iraq’s Al-Asad Airbase, handing full control of the sprawling installation in Anbar province to the Iraqi army, the Iraqi Defense Ministry said Saturday.
The ministry said Iraqi Chief of Staff Abdul-Amir Yarallah oversaw the formal transfer of authority and the reassignment of responsibilities to Iraqi military units now stationed at the base, which is the country’s second-largest airbase. Yarallah emphasized the need to secure and protect the facility following the departure of US troops.
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Al-Asad, long a hub for US and coalition operations in western Iraq, had hosted American forces for years as part of the campaign against the Islamic State (IS). The site has also been repeatedly targeted by Iran-backed armed groups during periods of regional escalation, including after the 2020 US killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.
The withdrawal was completed by Friday as part of a broader effort to consolidate US forces in the region, announced last fall, according to sources cited by Fox News. US Central Command has been overseeing the drawdown and repositioning.
In a statement issued in late December, the Iraqi military said the US-led coalition had completed its mission against IS in Al-Asad, paving the way for the handover. That transition follows a 2024 understanding between Washington and Baghdad outlining a gradual withdrawal of coalition forces and a shift toward a bilateral security relationship.
