US Forces Withdraw from Iraq’s Qayyarah Air Base

"All the forces from Q-West (Qayyarah Air Force Base) are withdrawing. About 500 soldiers are withdrawing. But not all our forces are going to be withdrawing from Iraq," said General Vincent Parker, Joint Operations Officer at Qayyarah Air Force Base.

The Qayyarah base is located around 60 km south of Mosul.

A Nineveh Police Command source told the National Iraqi News Agency (NINA) that the American forces during a ceremony have handed over the base to the Iraqi forces and announced their full withdrawal from the base.

Speaking at the ceremony, Iraq's Staff Major General Mohammad Fadhel said, "The withdrawal will be complete and the entire base will be handed over to the air force command.”

There will be other pullouts from other areas in Iraq, he said.

The withdrawal came one week after the US-led coalition handed over the al-Qaim military base to the Iraqi forces.