US CENTCOM declines to confirm or deny reports of Patriot withdrawal from Erbil

ERBIL, Iraq — A US Central Command (CENTCOM) official said the redeployment of American forces and military assets across the Middle East is continuing, but declined to confirm or deny reports that Patriot air defense systems have been pulled from Erbil International Airport. Speaking to an unnamed outlet, the official said CENTCOM regularly conducts redeployments and rotations of US forces to support assigned missions but could not share operational details due to security concerns. Separately, reports indicated that US Army personnel have begun dismantling and removing some components of the Patriot systems stationed at the Erbil airport base. According to those accounts, US forces last week started withdrawing part of their contingent deployed near the airport and have moved a large share of heavy military equipment out of Iraq as part of the ongoing operation. Al-Monitor reported that the Patriot air defense systems were fully dismantled at the Erbil base and relocated to another location, although some defense systems were left in place. The reported move comes in line with the agreement reached between Washington and Baghdad on the complete withdrawal of US forces from Iraq by September 30, 2026.