The US military presence, which started with the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and witnessed war, destruction and heavy loss of life over the years, is coming to an end after 23 years. A new era will begin in Iraq when US soldiers, who have 9 military bases in the country, leave the country tomorrow.
Iraqi Armed Forces Command Spokesperson Sabah al-Numan said in a statement to Iraq's official news agency INA, "US forces and international coalition forces will complete the withdrawal process from Iraq on the 30th of this month. There are no foreign soldiers or military bases on Iraqi territory." he said.
Abulemir al-Shammari, Iraqi Prime Minister and Director of the Office of the Commander of the Armed Forces, said in a statement on September 26 that the US-led coalition forces headquarters will be closed on September 30 and that there are no foreign military bases on Iraqi territory.
Shammari stated that the security situation of the country is good and Iraqi forces control the entire country's territory.
After the coalition's military mission ends, it is envisaged that security relations between Baghdad and Washington will continue within the framework of bilateral cooperation in areas such as intelligence sharing, coordination and weapons programs.
DEFENSE CONCERN FROM IKYB
On the other hand, the Ministry of Peshmerga of the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) expressed its concerns about the air defense capacity of the region as the withdrawal of the coalition approaches.
The Ministry stated that the KRG was exposed to more than 1000 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and ballistic missile attacks during the recent tension between the USA and Iran, and noted that the regional airspace is an integral part of Iraq's national airspace and that the protection of this area is the constitutional responsibility of the federal government.
KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani also warned that the withdrawal of US forces could leave the region defenseless and pointed out the inadequacy of air defense systems in northern Iraq.
Reminding that the security vacuum that emerged after the US's withdrawal decision in 2011 paved the way for the rise of DAESH, Barzani emphasized that a similar situation could occur again.
The military base and headquarters arrangement of the US-led coalition in Iraq will officially end as of September 30; It is expected that the foreign military presence in the country will be replaced entirely by the responsibility of Iraqi forces and bilateral security cooperation between Baghdad and Washington.
US MILITARY BASES IN IRAQ
The USA, which invaded Iraq in March 2003 to overthrow the Saddam Hussein regime, had 9 known military bases in this country. Even though the USA withdrew from Iraq in 2011, it strengthened its presence there with these military bases.
In addition to the Victory Military Base at Baghdad International Airport, the USA also had a base for training purposes in the Taji district of the capital.
The USA, which has two more military bases named Habaniyye and Aynu'l Asad in Anbar in the west of the country, began to actively use these bases, especially during the DAESH attacks in the summer of 2014.
American soldiers also used Beled Air Base in Salahaddin province.
The USA, which occupied Iraq, had military bases in Mosul, the second largest city of the country, as well as the K1 Military Base in Kirkuk.
US forces were also present at the Kayarra (Geyyara) Military Base in Mosul.
2 MILITARY BASES IN ERBIL
Harir Air Base in Erbil, which came to the fore after Trump's decision to withdraw his troops from Syria, was among the bases where US forces are located. The USA also had a military base at Erbil International Airport.
The Washington administration began to actively use the facility by expanding the runway of Harir Air Base in Erbil, which it has been under control of since 2015.
The USA was present in Iraq, which it invaded in 2003, with approximately 166 thousand soldiers until December 2011. After this date, it withdrew all its soldiers from Iraq upon the instructions of former President Barack Obama.
However, after the emergence of the terrorist organization DAESH on June 10, 2014, the USA sent its soldiers to Iraq again upon the call of the then Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
According to the latest data published by the US Department of State, there were nearly 5 thousand US soldiers in Iraq in accordance with the military strategic agreement signed between the two countries in 2014.
TWO-PHASE TRANSITION PLAN WAS ANNOUNCED
Iraq and the USA announced a two-stage transition plan to end the military mission of the US-led international coalition in the country in September 2024.
In the first phase of this plan, it was envisaged to complete the military mission in Iraq and start bilateral security cooperation, and in the second phase, it was envisaged to continue the support given to anti-DAESH operations in Syria from Iraqi territory.
“IRAQ'S FULL SOVEREIGNTY WILL BE RETURNED”
Iraqi Prime Minister Military Spokesperson Sabah al-Numan said, "September 30 is the last day when the international coalition's mission in Iraq will be ended, the coalition headquarters will be closed and Operation Inherent Resolve will end." he said.
Numan said, "The last coalition soldier will leave on September 30, and thus Iraq's full sovereignty will return," and stated that Iraqi security forces are ready to undertake the task of ensuring the country's national security.
