Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has declared September 30 as the “fixed and final” deadline for ending the US-led international coalition’s military mission in Iraq and completing the withdrawal of its forces.
The announcement followed al-Zaidi’s meeting with US Central Command Commander General Brad Cooper on Wednesday, August 12.
According to the Iraqi prime minister’s office, October 1 will mark a new phase for Iraq, with the country expected to have no foreign military presence.
The withdrawal follows an agreement reached by Washington and Baghdad in 2024 to gradually end the coalition’s military operations against the Islamic State (ISIS).
A US official also confirmed that Washington expects to complete its troop withdrawal by September 30, although the official did not disclose the number of US troops currently remaining in Iraq or where they would be redeployed.
The US said Iraqi security forces, including the Peshmerga and other security forces in the Kurdistan Region, would take the lead in combating ISIS and other armed groups.
US troops withdrew from bases across most of Iraq last year but maintained a presence in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region, where American positions have faced attacks amid the wider regional conflict.
The US military presence in Iraq reached more than 170,000 troops at its peak during counterinsurgency operations in 2007. Although American combat troops withdrew in 2011, they returned in 2014 following the rise of ISIS and the group’s seizure of large areas of Iraq and Syria.
Coalition military operations against ISIS formally ended in 2021 after the group lost control of its territorial strongholds.
Iraq and the United States now say their relationship will increasingly focus on economic and security cooperation based on mutual respect for Iraqi sovereignty and shared interests.
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