BAGHDAD – Iraq on Sunday forcefully dismissed reports claiming U.S. aircraft had landed at Ain al-Asad Air Base in Anbar Province, rejecting the claims as completely false. 
The denial came amid a wave of unverified rumors sweeping through social media as regional tensions continue to escalate, with Iraqi authorities moving quickly to quash any suggestion that U.S. forces had returned to the base—a move that would directly violate the agreed withdrawal timeline.
Lieutenant General Saad Maan, head of the Iraqi Security Media Cell, declared the reports “completely false in their entirety” and lacking any factual basis. He called on journalists and social media users to rely solely on official sources and avoid spreading unverified information.
The denial is significant because any U.S. aircraft landing at Ain al-Asad would constitute a direct violation of the withdrawal agreement signed between Baghdad and Washington, which requires U.S. forces to fully withdraw from Iraq by September 30, 2026. 
Ain al-Asad was officially handed over to Iraqi control in January 2026, when U.S. forces redeployed to Erbil and other locations. A U.S. return to the base would violate this agreement and represent a severe challenge to Iraqi sovereignty. This explains why Iraqi authorities moved so quickly and emphatically to reject the reports.
The denial comes at a highly sensitive moment. Iraq’s military authorities recently ordered all bases nationwide to raise alert levels “to the maximum,” strengthening preventive intelligence plans and accelerating preparations to equip units with radar systems and air defense capabilities. 
This followed unprecedented U.S.-Saudi joint airstrikes on July 29 that targeted Popular Mobilization Forces positions across multiple provinces, killing at least 20 fighters and wounding 32 others.
Information warfare has become a battleground as Iraq approaches the September 30 deadline for full U.S. withdrawal.  
Baghdad has consistently framed the withdrawal as essential to Iraqi sovereignty while tying it to the politically explosive demand that anti-terror groups disarm by September 30.