Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani announced on Monday that a “small unit” of U.S. military advisers and security personnel will remain at the Ain al-Asad air base in the western region of Iraq to continue coordinating efforts with U.S. forces in Syria to ensure that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) does not return to power in the region.

According to The Associated Press, the United States and Iraq agreed last year to reduce U.S.-led coalition operations against ISIS in Iraq. The outlet noted that the reduction was initially supposed to occur by September and that the reduction included the departing of U.S. forces from certain bases in the region.

The Associated Press reported that al-Sudani told reporters on Monday that U.S. military advisers and security personnel are currently stationed at the Ain al-Asad air base in the western region of Iraq and the al-Harir air base in the northern region of Iraq.

While al-Sudani acknowledged that the agreement between the United States and Iraq initially required the U.S. military to completely withdraw from Ain al-Asad by September, the Iraqi prime minister told reporters that “developments in Syria” require a “small unit” of 250 to 350 U.S. advisers and security personnel to remain at the base.

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According to The Associated Press, al-Sudani explained that U.S. advisers and security personnel will support counter-ISIS surveillance and will coordinate with Syria’s al-Tanf base. Meanwhile, the Iraqi prime minister confirmed that other U.S. military locations in Iraq are moving forward with “gradual reductions” in operations and personnel.

The Associated Press reported that the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December sparked concerns in Iraq that ISIS could potentially experience a resurgence in the region by seizing weapons left by the Syrian army and taking advantage of the instability in Syria.

However, al-Sudani told reporters that ISIS “no longer poses a significant threat inside Iraq.”

“We put Iraq first, and we do not wish to act as a proxy for anyone,” al-Sudani added. “Iraq will not be a battlefield for conflicts.”

Safaa al-Asam, a military adviser, previously told The New Region that the change in the U.S. military’s posture in Iraq is not a full withdrawal from the country but is a repositioning that involves approximately 600 troops being relocated to Syria and certain military units being relocated to other locations.