US to hand over support center at Baghdad airport to Iraq — Asharq Al-Awsat

The United States will hand over to the Iraqi government a diplomatic support center at Baghdad International Airport linked to the US Embassy. Iraq’s Foreign Ministry said the agreement on the transfer of the facility was signed with US Chargé d’Affaires Steven Fagin, Asharq Al-Awsat reports.

Withdrawal of coalition forces

Iraq’s Foreign Ministry said the transfer of the facility is part of the process of ending the military presence of the US-led coalition in the country. The remaining coalition personnel are expected to complete their withdrawal from Iraq by September 30.

Baghdad and Washington agreed in 2024 to end the coalition’s mission against the Islamic State group. According to the publication, after withdrawing from other bases, coalition forces remain only at Erbil Airport.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Attacks on US facilities

Iran-backed armed groups have for years demanded the withdrawal of foreign troops and attacked US facilities and coalition forces in Iraq. During the war in the Middle East, they attacked US facilities more than 600 times, including the center at Baghdad Airport.

Earlier this month, an Iraqi security official and a diplomatic source told AFP that US military personnel had already left the facility. Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who took office this year, promised to strengthen the state’s monopoly on weapons and secure the transfer of weapons held by armed groups to the state. Iraqi authorities believe that ending the coalition mission will remove one of the key arguments these groups use to retain their weapons.