The US military has left Ain al-Asad Airbase in Iraq, and Iraq’s army assumed full control, the Iraqi Defense Ministry reported Saturday.
An earlier statement by the Defense Ministry indicated that “the handover was factual,” US Central Command told CNN on Sunday.
The US had taken out all its military equipment, an Iraqi Defense Ministry source told the Associated Press.
Ain al-Assad Airbase housed American-led forces in western Iraq until they began to withdraw following a 2024 agreement between Baghdad and Washington.
Iran-backed terrorist groups repeatedly targeted it in recent years.
Hundreds of troops were supposed to leave by September 2025, with the rest departing by the end of 2026, according to the initial withdrawal plan.
The “full withdrawal” announced by Iraq did not include the departure of American forces from the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq. The US military remains present at Harir Air Base in Erbil province.
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani received US envoy Tom Barrack over the weekend, which highlights continued cooperation with the US.
US present in Iraq to combat Islamic State
Iraq requested additional US military presence in 2014 as the country struggled to fend off Islamic State. There is now a manageable level of domestic threat from the terrorist group, Iraqi officials said, adding that coalition efforts against ISIS persist in neighboring Syria.
The Iraqi army’s chief of staff, Lt.-Gen. Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah, had “instructed relevant authorities to intensify efforts, enhance joint work, and coordinate between all units stationed at the base, while making full use of its capabilities and strategic location,” the Iraqi military reported.
Last week, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf said American bases in the region would be considered “legitimate targets” in the event of an attack on Iran.
Reuters contributed to this report.