US Army Begins ‘Preplanned’ Withdrawal From Iraqi Kurdistan

from the News Desk at The Cradle, August 3, 2026

Washington is beginning “a previously arranged” and “preplanned” drawdown in Iraq, which will see it withdraw forces from the northern Iraqi Kurdistan region, according to Asharq al-Awsat’s report released on 2 August.

Kifah Mahmoud, media advisor to the president of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) – led by Masoud Barzani – told the outlet that previous reports of a full US withdrawal from Iraq were a “misunderstanding” and “not entirely accurate.”

Reports had circulated saying a full US withdrawal was underway.

Those reports stated that US air defense systems had been removed, and that missiles and drones were taken out of the US’s Harir Air Base near the city of Erbil in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

They also said most of the troops and heavy equipment had been removed.

“Washington had not withdrawn all its Patriot systems, but has retained sufficient defenses to protect its interests in the region,” Mahmoud said.

“Reports of a US withdrawal from Kurdistan are not entirely accurate and reflect a considerable misunderstanding. US forces previously stationed at Ain al-Asad Air Base and elsewhere in Anbar Province had moved to Harir Air Base in recent months under arrangements with Iraq’s federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government,” he added.

These troops are now preparing for a withdrawal to other countries, he went on to explain.

“The operation includes personnel, equipment, and air defense systems.” Mahmoud also said there was not a “conventional” US base in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, but rather a group of advisors training Iraqi state military forces.

These advisors were training the Kurdish Peshmerga militia as well, according to the report.

The report notes that Harir Air Base and other locations across the Kurdistan Region have repeatedly come under missile and drone attacks by Iran and allied Iraqi factions.

Citing Kurdish outlet Rudaw, it said the Kurdistan Region experienced 88 missile and drone attacks in July, killing 10 people and injuring 15.

Kurdish sources cited in the report “expect” attacks to continue even after the US withdrawal, while noting that the Peshmerga may have recently acquired counter-drone systems that successfully intercepted several drones over Erbil.

Amberin Zaman of Al-Monitor had said days earlier that the US is nearing a full withdrawal from Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, with the bulk of US troops and heavy equipment already removed from Harir Air Base and all Patriot air defense batteries reportedly redeployed to an undisclosed location.

The Al-Monitor report said the drawdown could leave the region more vulnerable to operations by Iran and Iraqi resistance factions, which have launched nearly 1,000 missiles and drones at the Kurdistan Region since February.

The Kurdistan region hosts scores of headquarters and command centers belonging to Iranian Kurdish separatist groups opposed to the Islamic Republic.

US military assets are also present in that area of the country.

At the height of the US-Israeli war on Iran, Tehran and its allies in the Iraqi resistance carried out dozens of destructive attacks on some of these Kurdish militia sites, as well as US bases in Iraq, including the Victoria Base.

🇮🇶 US Victoria Base near Baghdad Airport was hit by the heroes of the Iraqi Resistance. pic.twitter.com/zd4dl61wX7

— DD Geopolitics (@DD_Geopolitics) March 10, 2026

On 31 July, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that the US is “rethinking the scope of its footprint” in Kuwait following heavy losses at its bases, inflicted by Iran.

The reports come days after a series of US-Saudi attacks on Iraq, which killed dozens of members of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) – an official government-linked military body with very close links to the resistance.

The resistance has vowed retaliation for the strikes.

As part of a deal with the US, Baghdad has issued a September deadline for the disarmament of resistance factions in Iraq.

In the past few years, Iraq has held talks with Washington on the potential withdrawal of US forces from the country. While the US military has reduced its presence, it has not signaled a willingness to fully withdraw from the country and has insisted on a transition toward an “advisory” role.

Iraqi resistance factions demand full US withdrawal before full disarmament can be discussed.

Over recent months, President Donald Trump’s government has boosted longstanding US pressure on Baghdad to dismantle the Iraqi resistance.