ERBIL (Dispatches) -- U.S. warplanes and drones conducted extensive reconnaissance flights across western Iraq this week, even as a Kurdish politician disputed claims that American forces are preparing to leave Erbil, highlighting conflicting narratives over the coalition’s scheduled withdrawal.
A security source in Anbar province said on Friday that U.S. aircraft expanded aerial surveillance over cities near the border crossings of Al-Qaim with Syria, Trebil with Jordan, and Arar with Saudi Arabia. 
The reasons for the expanded flights over areas that have enjoyed stable security for over a decade remain unclear, the source said.
Separately, independent Kurdish politician Didar Hawal rejected claims of an American exit from Erbil, calling them “media lies.” He said information from inside U.S. positions indicated that American Marines had not left their locations, and that new military equipment would arrive in Erbil in the coming days.
The statements contradict assertions by Kurdish Regional Government Interior Minister Rebar Ahmed, who said Thursday that occupation forces have begun withdrawing from the Kurdistan region and are transferring daily to locations outside Iraq. 
He said the pullout is scheduled to conclude by September 30 under a 2024 agreement between Baghdad and Washington.
A senior Iraqi official confirmed that coalition forces are now only deployed at Erbil International Airport. The occupation had already completed withdrawals from other Iraqi bases in January.
The withdrawal follows a 2024 agreement to transition from the U.S.-led occupation’s military intervention to bilateral security relations, with the final phase concluding by September 30. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has described the deadline as final.