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US-Iraq deal would see hundreds of troops withdraw in first year

By Reuters
September 07, 2024
A US soldier from the 1st Battalion,116th Infantry Regiment, carries his bag as he prepares to pull out from Iraq to Kuwait, at Tallil Air Base near Nassiriya, 300 km (185 miles) southeast of Baghdad, August 15, 2010. — Reuters
A US soldier from the 1st Battalion,116th Infantry Regiment, carries his bag as he prepares to pull out from Iraq to Kuwait, at Tallil Air Base near Nassiriya, 300 km (185 miles) southeast of Baghdad, August 15, 2010. — Reuters

BAGHDAD: The United States and Iraq have reached an understanding on plans for the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces from Iraq, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

The plan, which has been broadly agreed but requires a final go-ahead from both capitals and an announcement date, would see hundreds of troops leave by September 2025, with the remainder departing by the end of 2026, the sources said.

“We have an agreement, its now just a question of when to announce it,” a senior US official said.

The US and Iraq are also seeking to establish a new advisory relationship that could see some US troops remain in Iraq after the drawdown.

An official announcement was initially scheduled for weeks ago but was postponed due to regional escalation related to Israel’s war in Gaza and to iron out some remaining details, the sources said.