TNA Staff
The New Arab / August 3, 2026
US forces shift troops and air defences around Erbil as Washington prepares to complete its Iraq withdrawal amid renewed regional tensions.
US forces have begun a large-scale overnight redeployment around Erbil as Washington prepares to complete its military withdrawal from Iraq, according to security and political sources, amid heightened tensions following an attempted drone attack on the US consulate in the city.
The reported movements involve personnel and equipment being transferred between Harir Air Base, Erbil International Airport and the US consulate compound, in what sources described as preparations for the withdrawal of remaining US troops under a September 2024 agreement between Washington and Baghdad.
The operations come days after Iraqi authorities foiled an attempted drone attack targeting the US consulate in Erbil. On Saturday, the US embassy in Baghdad and the consulate in Erbil issued a security alert warning American citizens to prepare for possible escalation.
“US diplomatic facilities have been targeted,” the statement said. “US interests, companies, and institutions associated with the United States in various parts of the world may also be targeted,” citing heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran.
Security and political sources in Erbil told The New Arab that the evacuation of non-essential personnel, including trainers and advisers, had already begun alongside the transfer of equipment from Harir Air Base to Erbil International Airport.
The sources said the relocation also included the US Patriot air defence system, which had been moved from Harir Air Base to the vicinity of the US consulate as part of the broader repositioning of personnel and assets.
They added that while weapons had previously been handed over to Kurdish Peshmerga forces, the Patriot and C-RAM air defence systems had simply been relocated rather than removed from Iraq.
“The US C-RAM and Patriot defence systems have not left Erbil,” one source told The New Arab. “They have simply been moved from one area to another near the US consulate.”
Last week, Washington-based outlet Al-Monitor reported that the US had begun withdrawing its remaining forces from Iraq ahead of the agreed 30 September deadline and claimed Patriot systems had already been removed from Erbil.
Washington and Baghdad agreed in 2024 to end the US military mission in Iraq by the end of September, although US officials have said cooperation with Iraqi security forces on training, intelligence-sharing and counter-Islamic State operations will continue.
Harir Air Base is now the last remaining US military installation in Iraq after American forces completed their withdrawal from Ain al-Asad Air Base in Anbar province earlier this year.
Concerns over the withdrawal have been echoed by Kurdish politicians.
Idris Shaaban, a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, said there were “major concerns” that removing US forces and air defence systems would create “a significant vacuum” that could be exploited by “armed factions, Iran, and terrorist organisations”, adding that “the matter must be addressed quickly by the federal government”.
Karim Aqrawi, another member of the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party, said the decision to withdraw was “linked to Baghdad” and that the Kurdistan Region would respect the federal government’s decision.
“But we fear growing threats from Iraqi armed factions towards the region, and that they will regard this withdrawal as a victory,” he told The New Arab.
Aqrawi said the gradual withdrawal of US and coalition forces should be matched by “a gradual reduction in the role of the armed factions in terrorising Iraqi areas and intimidating the population”, including disarmament now that “the justification of a foreign military presence has ended”.
Iraqi security analyst Mohammed al-Asaad said the Patriot system’s new location had not been disclosed for security reasons but argued it was unlikely to leave Erbil because of the need to protect the US consulate.
He added that while Patriot remained important, the city’s immediate defence would rely primarily on C-RAM and anti-drone systems.
