Moscow welcomes reported withdrawal of US forces from Iraq

Russia has welcomed what it described as the withdrawal of United States military forces from Iraq, saying the move demonstrates that Iraqi army and security forces are capable of independently strengthening the country's defense capabilities and ensuring national security.

The comments, reported by Turkey's Anadolu Agency, frame the development as a validation of Iraq's security sovereignty rather than detailing the scale or timeline of any US troop drawdown.

Neither the original source material nor Moscow's statement, as reported, specifies which US units or bases are affected, or whether the withdrawal is full or partial.

Background

The US military presence in Iraq has fluctuated over the past two decades, shaped by shifting security conditions, counter-terrorism operations against groups such as ISIS, and periodic negotiations between Washington and Baghdad over the scope and duration of foreign troop deployments.

Russia has previously pointed to similar developments to argue that Western military presence in the Middle East is unnecessary, positioning itself as a supporter of what it terms the sovereignty of regional states.