The United States will complete the withdrawal of all remaining military forces from the Kurdistan Region by 30 September 2026, marking the first time since 2003 that no American military presence will exist anywhere in Iraq. The withdrawal, agreed between Washington and Baghdad in 2024 as part of a broader transition from combat operations to bilateral security cooperation, is now in its final phase and for the Kurdistan Region, the implications are serious.
The US has already withdrawn the last five Patriot air defence systems from Erbil Airport, the most visible signal yet that America’s military umbrella over the Kurdish capital is being dismantled. Convoys carrying interceptors and logistical containers were observed leaving the Erbil air base in late July, with a high-altitude surveillance balloon known as an aerostat also taken down by US forces from above the city. Kurdish officials described the movements as “not routine” and confirmed they received no prior notification.
The Kurdistan Region is now urgently requesting advanced air defence systems to counter persistent drone and missile threats as the deadline approaches. That urgency is well founded. Throughout 2026 Erbil has been subjected to repeated Iranian drone and missile strikes, with more than 600 Iranian attacks targeting the region since the broader Iran-US conflict escalated, hitting infrastructure and facilities associated with US-allied personnel. The Patriot systems being removed were the primary defence against those attacks. Their absence leaves a gap that the Kurdistan Region’s own air defences are not yet equipped to fill independently.
Coalition financial support for the Peshmerga will also cease following the withdrawal, transitioning solely to training, logistics and reform assistance. Evacuated bases will transfer to Peshmerga control. While that represents a degree of institutional continuity, it does not compensate for the loss of active air defence coverage at a moment when Iranian aggression against Kurdish territory shows no sign of abating.
The withdrawal follows a 2024 agreement between Baghdad and Washington to formally end the coalition’s combat and advisory mission in Iraq and transition to a bilateral security relationship. US-led coalition forces have already completed their withdrawal from federal Iraqi territory, with the Kurdistan Region representing the final stage of that process. Iraqi government spokesman Haider Al Aboodi confirmed that coordination is ongoing and that sites will be handed over to Iraqi forces at an organised pace before the September 30 deadline.
For Baghdad the withdrawal is framed as a milestone in the restoration of full Iraqi sovereignty over security matters. For Erbil the picture is considerably more complicated. An Erbil-based political analyst noted that the removal of US forces eliminates the primary pretext Iran has used to justify its strikes on the Kurdistan Region, the argument being that US military presence in Erbil made it a legitimate target. Whether Tehran will honour that logic once American forces are gone remains to be seen.
What is certain is that the Kurdistan Region will enter October 2026 without the air defence architecture that has partially shielded it throughout one of the most dangerous periods in its modern history. The Peshmerga are capable and experienced fighters. But intercepting Iranian ballistic missiles and armed drones requires sophisticated systems that take years to acquire, integrate and operate. The gap between what is leaving and what will replace it is not a technical question, it is a security question with consequences for every civilian living under Kurdish skies.
