The United States has begun removing heavy equipment, including air-defence systems, from Iraqi Kurdistan as the final phase of the U.S.-led coalition’s Iraq mission approaches its September 30 deadline. Hundreds of remaining U.S. personnel in northern Iraq are expected to redeploy mainly to Jordan and other regional locations. Kurdish officials have warned that removing Patriot and C-RAM defences could leave the Kurdistan Region more exposed to Iranian missiles, drones and Iran-aligned militia attacks. Baghdad says the withdrawal deadline is final, while powerful militias have resisted calls to surrender their weapons.
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