Thursday, June 19, 2025
  • About us
    • Write for us
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms of use
    • Privacy Policy
  • RSS Feeds
  • Advertise with us
  • Contact us
DefenceTalk
  • Home
  • Defense News
    • Defense & Geopolitics News
    • War Conflicts News
    • Army News
    • Air Force News
    • Navy News
    • Missiles Systems News
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Defense Technology
    • Cybersecurity News
  • Military Photos
  • Defense Forum
  • Military Videos
  • Military Weapon Systems
    • Weapon Systems
    • Reports
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Defense News
    • Defense & Geopolitics News
    • War Conflicts News
    • Army News
    • Air Force News
    • Navy News
    • Missiles Systems News
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Defense Technology
    • Cybersecurity News
  • Military Photos
  • Defense Forum
  • Military Videos
  • Military Weapon Systems
    • Weapon Systems
    • Reports
No Result
View All Result
DefenceTalk
No Result
View All Result
Home Defence & Military News Defense Geopolitics News War News

US-led coalition troops begin leaving Iraq bases

by Agence France-Presse
March 18, 2020
in War News
2 min read
0
Noose Tightening Around ISIL In Mosul, Carter Says
32
SHARES
14
VIEWS

The US-led coalition will redeploy hundreds of troops from bases in Iraq including to outside the country, coalition and US officials said Tuesday, with one calling it a “historic” move.

The announcement came hours after another rocket attack targeted an Iraqi base where foreign troops are located, the 24th such attack in less than six months.

“The coalition is re-positioning troops from a few smaller bases,” said coalition spokesman Myles Caggins.

The first redeployment was taking place Tuesday from Qaim, the western base along the border with Syria, a coalition official told AFP.

“A transfer ceremony is taking place today to hand over the facilities to Iraqi forces, and the intent is that all coalition troops will be leaving Qaim,” the official said.

“It’s historic,” the official added, saying about 300 US-led coalition troops would be moved out of the base.

Some had already been redeployed to coalition positions in neighboring war-ravaged Syria along with artillery, while others would be sent to other bases in Iraq or to Kuwait.

The official denied that the redeployment was a response to a spike over the last week in rocket attacks targeting foreign troops stationed across Iraq.

Early Tuesday, two Katyusha rockets hit an Iraqi base south of the capital hosting Spanish units of the US-led coalition as well as NATO troops.

On March 11, a volley of rockets killed two US military personnel and a British soldier at the Taji airbase, which was hit again three days later.

The US responded with air strikes on five positions controlled by Kataeb Hezbollah, a Iran-backed group and member of the Hashed al-Shaabi military network.

The Hashed has been formally integrated into the Iraqi state’s security forces but more hardline groups continue to operate independently.

Some 5,200 US forces are positioned across Iraq and form the bulk of the coalition set up in 2014 to help local forces battle the Islamic State jihadist group.

They are deployed at about a dozen bases in Iraq alongside local forces.

A US official told AFP that coalition troops would leave three bases. In addition to Qaim, troops at the Qayyarah and Kirkuk bases in northern Iraq were set to be withdrawn by the end of April.

While Qaim has not been hit by rockets, both Qayyarah and Kirkuk have faced heavy rocket fire in recent months.

“There was no trigger but the violence helped keep the (withdrawal) pace fast,” the official added, saying overall troop numbers in Iraq would remain the same.

In January, Iraq’s parliament voted to oust all foreign forces from the country after a US drone strike in Baghdad killed top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and the Hashed’s deputy chief, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

Tags: iraqiraq wartroopswar
Previous Post

Surge in COVID-themed cyberattacks

Next Post

New research improves drone detection

Related Posts

Trump announces ‘full and immediate’ India-Pakistan ceasefire

Trump announces ‘full and immediate’ India-Pakistan ceasefire

May 10, 2025

US President Donald Trump on Saturday announced a ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan after days of deadly jet fighter,...

Pakistan says Indian missiles strike air bases as conflict spirals

Pakistan says Indian missiles strike air bases as conflict spirals

May 10, 2025

Pakistan's military on Saturday said India launched another wave of missiles targeting three air bases -- including one on the...

Next Post
10 news organizations join drone-test program

New research improves drone detection

Latest Defense News

Britain, Germany jointly developing missiles: ministers

Britain, Germany jointly developing missiles: ministers

May 17, 2025
Trump announces ‘full and immediate’ India-Pakistan ceasefire

Trump announces ‘full and immediate’ India-Pakistan ceasefire

May 10, 2025
Pakistan says Indian missiles strike air bases as conflict spirals

Pakistan says Indian missiles strike air bases as conflict spirals

May 10, 2025
J-10C fighter jet

Pakistan says India has brought neighbours ‘closer to major conflict’

May 9, 2025
North Korea fires multiple suspected cruise missiles

North Korea fires flurry of short-range ballistic missiles

May 9, 2025
China says ‘closely watching’ Ukraine situation after Russian attack

China vows to stand with Russia in face of ‘hegemonic bullying’

May 9, 2025

Defense Forum Discussions

  • Royal Australian Air Force [RAAF] News, Discussions and Updates
  • Royal Australian Navy Discussions and Updates 2.0
  • Middle East Defence & Security
  • Australian Army Discussions and Updates
  • The Russian-Ukrainian War Thread
  • Korean Peninsula Developments
  • French Armée de l'Air et de l'Espace News & Discussion
  • General Aviation Thread
  • Germany
  • Indonesia: 'green water navy'
DefenceTalk

© 2003-2020 DefenceTalk.com

Navigate Site

  • Defence Forum
  • Military Photos
  • RSS Feeds
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Contact us

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Defense News
    • Defense & Geopolitics News
    • War Conflicts News
    • Army News
    • Air Force News
    • Navy News
    • Missiles Systems News
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Defense Technology
    • Cybersecurity News
  • Military Photos
  • Defense Forum
  • Military Videos
  • Military Weapon Systems
    • Weapon Systems
    • Reports

© 2003-2020 DefenceTalk.com