US troops have left the Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq. In addition to the Americans, there were also troops from other countries under their command. After they left the base, the Iraqi army took full control of it.

The country's Ministry of Defense announced this information on Saturday (January 17).

In 2020, the United States killed Qassem Soleimani, the head of the Quds Force, the elite unit of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in Baghdad, Iraq. In retaliation, Iran fired a massive missile at the Ain al-Assad base. The base was severely damaged. The intensity of the Iranian attack was so high that many of the US soldiers stationed there at the time suffered psychological problems.

An agreement was reached between Iraq and the United States to withdraw troops in 2024. As part of this, US troops have withdrawn from the base.

An Iraqi army colonel confirmed the departure of US troops from the base. However, he said that only a small number of them remained there. They are only here for some logistical work. They will leave when the work is finished. The Iraqi army official did not give more information for security reasons.

It is not certain when the US began withdrawing troops. It was rumored that hundreds of troops would leave by September 2025. And that they would evacuate the entire base by 2026.