On January 18, the last group of American military advisors left the Ain al-Asad airbase in Anbar province, where they had been stationed for over 20 years. During this operation, the coalition led by Washington, which has been involved in the fight against the terrorist organization ISIS, transferred control of all military facilities, including the headquarters of the Joint Operations Command, to Iraqi security forces. At the same time, American troops continue to remain at the Al-Harir airbase located in Erbil province, which is part of Iraqi Kurdistan. This region has the status of an autonomous federal entity and has its own authorities and security forces, over which the central government of Iraq has limited influence.
The number of American troops in Iraq has undergone significant changes since the invasion in 2003. At the height of tensions, the number of military personnel reached 170,000. Although the troops were withdrawn in 2011, in 2014, based on a request from Baghdad, about 5,000 military personnel returned to the country to combat terrorism. As of December 2021, after the completion of the combat mission, around 2,500 American advisors remained in Iraq. Starting in 2023, Iraqi authorities insisted on the final withdrawal of these forces.
