According to KurdPress, reports indicate the rapid withdrawal of US defense systems and British, French and German military equipment from Erbil International Airport. This action was taken without prior notification of the Kurdistan Regional Government authorities and has increased concerns about Erbil's vulnerability to possible attacks by Iran and armed groups aligned with Tehran.This report, by Kurdish affairs observer Fazel Hawrami, draws on information from informed sources and reports published by Kurdish affairs reporters, including Al-Monitor’s Amber Zaman and Kurdish affairs expert Winthrop Rogers, to provide new details on the withdrawal of US forces and their European allies from the Erbil airport military base. According to the reports, hundreds of US, British, French and German troops have left Erbil, along with key air defense systems, in a swift 72-hour operation, effectively reducing the defense capabilities of the international coalition base in the Kurdistan Region. Several large military transport aircraft, including US C-17 Globemasters and British A400M Atlass, landed at Erbil International Airport at the end of last week.Initially, Kurdish officials believed the planes were carrying reinforcements, interceptor missiles and new defense systems to reinforce the coalition base, which has been repeatedly targeted by drone and missile attacks by Iran and Tehran-backed militias in Iraq in recent months. However, contrary to this assumption, the planes were used to transport troops and defense equipment from Erbil. On Saturday, US forces also completely collected the high-altitude surveillance balloons and ground-based balloons (Aerostats) used for aerial surveillance of the Erbil region. According to sources familiar with the transfer and a report by the English-language Rudaw, the US has transferred eight Patriot missile defense systems based in Erbil to Jordan in three days.At the same time, Britain has moved its Rapid Sentry defense system to Cyprus.

As a result of this operation:

British forces have completely withdrawn from the Kurdistan Region.

France and Germany have only retained a limited number of troops in the region.

The United States has also reduced its military presence to a very limited level.

The withdrawal of the US Patriot systems was first reported by Amber Zaman in Al-Monitor. The withdrawal of the British equipment and the reduction of the French and German forces were later confirmed by other journalists covering Kurdish issues, including Winthrop Rogers. One of the important points of this operation is the lack of prior notification to the Kurdistan Regional Government authorities. Sources close to the process have said that not only were Kurdish officials not involved in the decision to withdraw the equipment, but they were also not informed of the details of the activities inside the base.This has caused great concern among regional officials, especially as missile and drone threats against the region have increased.

The withdrawal of this equipment comes as attacks by Iran and its allied groups against US interests in the region have increased in recent weeks and tensions between Washington and Tehran have escalated once again. Before the withdrawal of the defense systems, the Erbil base was protected by several layers of defense, including:

US Patriot systems to counter ballistic missiles and air threats,

C-RAM systems to counter rockets, artillery and mortars,

British Rapid Sentry systems to counter incoming drones and projectiles.

These systems had intercepted hundreds of suicide drones and missiles fired from them since February 2026, after the start of US and Israeli air operations against Iran.Despite these layers of defense, informed sources say at least five American soldiers and contractors have been killed in attacks on American positions in Iraq in recent months.

The speed and secrecy of the withdrawal of Western forces has revived memories for some Kurds of the US withdrawal from northern and eastern Syria. At the time, the withdrawal of American forces from the Kurdish-controlled areas of Syria, known as Rojava, paved the way for an offensive by Turkish-backed forces and changed the security situation in the region. Some Kurdish officials and analysts worry that a reduction in the Western military presence in Erbil could also weaken the Kurdistan Region’s position in the face of regional pressure.

France, Germany and Britain have deployed forces in the Kurdistan Region in recent years as part of the international coalition against ISIS.But in recent months, the main protection of these forces has been provided by American systems. French and German forces lacked independent systems to counter invading missiles and drones, and Britain used its Rapid Sentry system in coordination with the American defense network. For this reason, with the US decision to withdraw its main defense systems, European allies were also forced to reduce their presence. According to the security agreement between Baghdad and Washington, American forces are expected to complete their withdrawal from Iraq by the end of September 2026. However, Kurdish officials believe that the speed and manner of the recent operation went beyond a planned withdrawal.

The United States, Britain, France and Germany have had a military presence in the Kurdistan Region for more than a decade.This presence continued after the defeat of ISIS in Iraq in 2017, and its main purpose was to train and support Iraqi forces and Peshmerga in combating ISIS remnants in the mountainous regions of northern Iraq. Since 2019, the US has reinforced its base at Erbil International Airport and later deployed Patriot systems to protect its forces and facilities there.