Iraqi forces visit Al Asad Airbase amidst rumours of US troop movements

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi forces, under the leadership of the Army Chief of Staff Gen. Abdul Amir Yarallah on Saturday visited Ain Al Asad Air Base in Anbar amidst rumours of US troop movements in Iraq.

Iraqi forces, under the leadership of the Army Chief of Staff, Gen. Abdul Amir Yarallah, visited Al Asad Air Base, Aug. 26. This marks another step in our strong partnership with the Iraqi Security Forces and our resolute march towards the enduring defeat of Daesh. pic.twitter.com/fbQUCCNMiE

— Operation Inherent Resolve (@CJTFOIR) August 26, 2023

“This marks another step in our strong partnership with the Iraqi Security Forces and our resolute march towards the enduring defeat of Daesh,” the US-led Coalition said in a tweet.

Two military bases—Erbil and Ain Al Asad—host the vast majority of US forces in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. 

Over the course of 2020, the Coalition has withdrawn its troops from additional smaller bases in order to concentrate in the two aforementioned facilities.

The visit to Ain Al Asad Airbase comes amidst local media rumors about a potential conflict between the US and Iran-backed armed groups in eastern Syria and the recent influx of US troops in Iraq.

Read More: US to study air defense systems for Kurdistan Region: former Coalition spox

Retired US Army Col. Myles B. Caggins III, a former spokesman for the US-led Coalition in Iraq and a senior fellow at the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy, reaffirmed in an exclusive interview with Kurdistan 24 that there would be no war between Iran and the US and called it an "absolute rumor."

“What has happened is we’ve had a normal transition of American troops replacing one group. We had one group from Ohio and they have been replaced by a group from New York,” he said.

“During that transition, we had a temporary increase in the number of troops as the new soldiers came in, old soldiers go out, but there is no desire for the US to have a war with Iran,” he reiterated.

Read More: Coalition executes scheduled force rotation in Erbil

This month, Coalition service members from 10th Mountain Division replaced service members from the Ohio Army National Guard in Erbil, as part of a planned replacement of forces in support of the US-led coalition against ISIS over the past month.

Major General Matthew McFarlane, the outgoing Commander of the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR), on Aug. 20 also denied the rumours in the regional media.

Read More: Coalition commander calls for accelerated Peshmerga reforms

“We are in the middle of rotations right now, they are normal routine activities in which we will bring in new units with equipment,” he told reporters.

“These rotations are necessary so our troops stay fresh and troops over time and stay connected to their families,” he added.

Lastly, he said the troop movements on the roads by US troops in Iraq, are “in fact a transition of units. There are zero plans to do anything apart from staying focused on Daesh (ISIS) and ensuring that Daesh can never emerge.”