AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Lieutenant General "Abdul Amir al-Shammari," the director of the office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, announced that the "Victory" military base adjacent to Baghdad Airport in the west of the Iraqi capital has been completely emptied of the presence of American forces. This action was carried out within the framework of the process of withdrawing American forces from Iraq.
According to a report by the newspaper Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed, al-Shammari also said that Iraq will plan to compensate for the possible shortage of air capabilities after the withdrawal of the American coalition. He emphasized that after September 30, no foreign combat force or military base will remain in Iraq.
Baghdad: Complete Control of Sinjar Will Be Placed in the Hands of Iraqi Forces
Al-Shammari, in press remarks in Baghdad, said that Iraqi forces will consolidate complete control of Sinjar in Nineveh province and will also compensate for the possible shortage in air capability caused by the withdrawal of American coalition forces.
He emphasized, "In the post-coalition phase, there is no concern about the country's security and stability."
According to him, talks are also underway between some armed groups and Iraqi political leaders to organize the process of these groups joining and determining their status within the framework of the Popular Mobilization Forces organization.
Baghdad and Ankara Negotiations for the Withdrawal of Turkish Forces
The director of the office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, regarding the Turkish military presence in the north of the country, also said that negotiations are underway to evacuate the Bashika (Zelikan) base in Nineveh province of Turkish forces.
He announced that this evacuation is to take place within 60 days.
The Process of Withdrawal of Foreign Forces from Iraq
The practical withdrawal of foreign and American forces from bases and military centers in Baghdad began last year and in implementation of the agreement between Iraq and America, which was announced in September 2024.
According to that agreement, the military mission of the American coalition in Iraq was to end by the end of September 2025.
However, last January, the Iraqi military committee announced that the process of evacuating all bases and military centers belonging to the American coalition in Iraq had been completed and the relations between the two sides had entered the stage of bilateral security cooperation.
Despite this, the end of the American coalition's mission did not mean the complete withdrawal of all foreign forces from Baghdad. Cooperation with some foreign parties, including NATO, continued. NATO also continued its activities in Iraq until last March and then, due to the region's security conditions, transferred all its mission staff from Baghdad to the organization's headquarters in Naples, Italy.
Iraqi Official: For the First Time, Victory Has Been Completely Emptied
A senior official of Iraq's Ministry of Interior told the newspaper Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed that this is the first time that it can be confidently announced that Victory Base has been completely emptied of foreign and American forces.
This official added that most military forces, advisers, technical and logistical support teams, and communications experts have left Iraq, and most of them have gone to other countries through Kuwait.
He also said that Iraqi officials are gradually taking over the sites and centers that were previously in the possession of foreign forces.
According to this official, efforts are currently focused on ending the presence of groups of military personnel inside the American embassy.
Victory; The Largest American Military Complex in Iraq
The "Victory" base was built in western Baghdad and adjacent to the city's international airport and, after the American occupation of Iraq in 2003, became the largest American military complex in this country.
This base was the main command and control center for American and international coalition forces and was considered one of the most fortified military centers in Iraq.
The area of the base has been announced as about 40 square kilometers, and this complex had 12 main buildings, helicopter landing sites, and a "C-RAM" air defense system.
The strategic importance of Victory Base was not limited to the presence of American military forces. This base housed centers for supporting operations, managing military, security, logistical, and intelligence missions, as well as control centers, equipment and ammunition warehouses, and intelligence analysis rooms.
Bashika; The Turkish Base Will Also Be Handed Over to Baghdad
Regarding the Bashika "Zelikan" base, "Saad Maan," the head of Iraq's Security Information Organization, emphasized that the handover of this base will be carried out gradually and based on the agreed mechanism and timetable.
He considered this process part of the broader path to consolidating the authority of the Iraqi government.
Maan said in a statement on Saturday that there is a clear connection between the process of withdrawing Turkish forces and security measures in northern Iraq, especially the application of the rule of law in Sinjar and the end of the presence of foreign armed forces.
According to him, this action has provided the ground for reorganizing the security situation in Nineveh province and the areas around Mosul and will help create more stable security arrangements under Iraqi management.
Where Is Bashika and Why Is It Important?
The Bashika base is a Turkish military base in northern Iraq and in Nineveh province. This base is about 10 kilometers from the city of Bashika and about 30 kilometers from the northeast of Mosul.
According to published reports, nearly a thousand Turkish soldiers were stationed at this base.
This camp was established in 2014 after the ISIS group's attack on Mosul.
Previously, "Ali al-Zaydi," the Prime Minister of Iraq, and "Recep Tayyip Erdogan," the President of Turkey, after a meeting in New York on the sidelines of the eighty-first UN General Assembly meetings, had announced an agreement to hand over the Bashika "Zelikan" base to the Iraqi government based on a timetable.
Parliament Member: Baghdad Has Moved Toward Completing Sovereignty
"Yasser Iskandar," a member of the Iraqi Parliament's Security and Defense Committee, said that the withdrawal of foreign and American forces as well as Turkish forces from Iraq and the handover of the bases and centers that were in their possession means significant progress by the Iraqi government in the process of completing sovereignty and ending any foreign presence.
He stated in an interview with the newspaper Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed that the withdrawal of foreign forces from Iraq has proceeded according to the timetables agreed upon between Baghdad and Washington.
According to Iskandar, the Iraqi government's reaching solutions with some parties of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has also caused Ankara to begin the process of ending its military intervention in northern Iraq.
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