The US agreed with Iraq on the withdrawal of troops by the end of 2026

The plan calls for the withdrawal of hundreds of US troops in the first year (the deadline is September next year), and the rest of the force will be withdrawn by the end of 2026.

The United States and Iraq have reached preliminary agreements on the withdrawal of the US-led coalition forces from the territory of Iraq. This should happen in several stages. This was reported by Reuters with reference to sources.

It is noted that the plan provides for the withdrawal of hundreds of US troops in the first year (the deadline is September next year), and the rest of the forces will be withdrawn by the end of 2026. At the same time, the plan still requires final approval from both capitals, and the date of the announcement remains open.

"We have a deal, now it's just a matter of when to announce it," Reuters quoted a senior US official as saying.

There is a possibility that the deal could be announced this month. The official announcement was originally planned for several weeks ago, but was delayed due to regional escalation related to Israel's military actions in the Gaza Strip and, according to Western media sources, to clarify some details.

In addition, as the newspaper writes, the United States and Iraq also seek to establish a new consultative relationship, thanks to which some American troops can remain in Iraq after the drawdown.

"The sources include five US officials, two officials from other coalition countries and three Iraqi officials, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly," the publication said.

The adviser on foreign affairs of the Prime Minister of Iraq, Farhad Alaaldin, said that the technical negotiations with Washington on the reduction of the coalition have ended. However, he did not reveal the details of the plan.

The United States has approximately 2500 troops in Iraq and 900 in neighboring Syria as part of a coalition formed in 2014 to fight the Islamic State group, which has attacked the two Middle Eastern countries. The US had previously invaded Iraq in 2003, toppling dictator Saddam Hussein, and the withdrawal of troops took place in 2011. Because of ISIS, US-led coalition forces returned to Iraq after three years.