Al-Sarraj: The US withdrawal from Iraq remains formal unless it includes Ain al-Assad base.
Al-Sarraj: The US withdrawal from Iraq remains formal unless it includes Ain al-Assad base.
8-31-2025
Al-Ma’alouma/Baghdad.
Political analyst Ibrahim Al-Sarraj asserted on Sunday that any withdrawal of foreign forces, primarily US forces, will not be credible or real unless it includes the handover of the Ain al-Assad military base and a complete withdrawal from Iraqi territory. He warned of US plans aimed at destabilizing the region.
Al-Sarraj told Al-Maalouma News Agency that “talk about a US withdrawal from Iraq loses its true meaning if it is limited to redeployment from one base to another, such as moving from Ain al-Assad to Harir base in the Kurdistan Region, because the latter is also located within Iraqi territory, and therefore cannot be considered a complete withdrawal.”
He added, “This move is part of a broader US strategy aimed at maintaining a military foothold within Iraq, and may be part of the ‘Greater Israel’ project that seeks to redraw the map of influence in the region.”
The political analyst pointed out that “the agreement concluded between Baghdad and Washington clearly stipulates a full withdrawal by September 2025, which requires the Iraqi government to be more cautious and exert greater pressure to ensure the full withdrawal is implemented, and not accept formal formulas or circumvent the terms of the agreement.”
This comes at a time when political and popular calls are increasing to end the foreign presence in Iraq once and for all, as this is the only way to achieve independent sovereignty and lasting stability for the country.
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