An adviser in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region said Saturday that reports of a US withdrawal of troops and Patriot air defense systems from the Erbil area involved “a misunderstanding,” while confirming that a previously arranged drawdown had begun.
Reports said the Patriot systems used to intercept missiles and drones were no longer present at the US military base at Harir near Erbil. The withdrawal reportedly began last week and remains underway, with most US troops and heavy military equipment already removed.
All Patriot launchers were said to have been transferred elsewhere, although some other air defense systems remain in place, the reports said.
Kifah Mahmoud, media adviser to the president of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the withdrawal was not unexpected because US forces had been preparing for it for months.
He said Washington had not withdrawn all its Patriot systems, but had retained sufficient defenses to protect its interests in the region.
Under an agreement between Baghdad and Washington, the US-led international coalition is due to complete its withdrawal by the end of September. The deadline is to be preceded by the gradual removal of military assets and equipment from the Kurdistan Region and other locations.
‘A misunderstanding’
Mahmoud said reports of a US withdrawal from Kurdistan were “not entirely accurate” and reflected a “considerable misunderstanding.”
US forces previously stationed at Ain al-Asad Air Base and elsewhere in Anbar Province had moved to Harir Air Base in recent months under arrangements with Iraq’s federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government, he explained. Those forces are now preparing to withdraw to bases in other countries.
The operation includes personnel, equipment and air defense systems, Mahmoud added.
He noted that the Kurdistan Region did not host a military base in the conventional sense, but rather a group of experts overseeing the training of Iraqi armed forces, including the Kurdish Peshmerga.
History of attacks
Harir has faced dozens of missile and drone attacks by Iran and allied Iraqi factions. Cities and strategic sites elsewhere in the region have also been targeted, often under the pretext of the US presence.
According to Kurdish news network Rudaw, the Kurdistan Region was subjected to 88 drone and missile attacks in July, killing 10 people and wounding 15.
Although US air defenses are intended primarily to protect American facilities, including the large consulate in Erbil, the region has benefited from their interception of numerous missiles and drones.
Kurdish sources expect Iran and its armed allies to continue their attacks even after the anticipated US withdrawal, saying they are likely to find other pretexts.
Both the Kurdistan Region and Iraq’s federal government lack effective missile and drone defenses and early-warning radar systems. Iraqi airspace was repeatedly violated during the US-Israeli war against Iran by US and Israeli warplanes and by Iranian counterstrikes.
Kurdish sources nevertheless said the Peshmerga may have obtained counter-drone weapons that proved effective in recent attacks on Erbil, shooting down several drones.
