USA12 August, 20263 min read
Iraqi PM Ali Al-Zaidi Says Sept. 30 US Withdrawal Deadline Is Final And Irreversible
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Iraqi PM Ali al-Zaidi says Sept. 30 withdrawal deadline is final and irreversible. Deadline ends the US-led coalition’s presence dating back to the 2003 invasion.
7 outlets told this the same way.
Sept. 30 Iraq pullout
The United States is preparing to complete its withdrawal of forces from Iraq by September 30, ending a presence that began with the 2003 invasion against Saddam Hussein, according to AP and other outlets.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi met with U.S. Central Command Commander Gen. Brad Cooper and affirmed that Sept. 30 is the “fixed and final date” for ending the military mission of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in Iraq and completing the departure of its forces.
AP reported that U.S. forces are on track to pull all of its forces out of Iraq by the end of September, while Washington and Baghdad agreed in 2024 to wind down the much smaller U.S.-led operations against the Islamic State group.
The AP report also said U.S. troops pulled out of bases in most areas of Iraq last year but maintained a presence in the semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region, where bases have regularly come under attack since the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Iran on Feb. 28.
AP added that the U.S. presence in Iraq grew to more than 170,000 troops at the peak of counterinsurgency operations in 2007 and that about 2,500 U.S. troops remained for training and to conduct counter-IS operations with Iraq’s military.
Iraqi deadline and talks
Al-Zaidi told Cooper that the Sept. 30 deadline for ending the international coalition’s military mission in Iraq and completing the withdrawal of its forces is “final and irreversible,” setting the stage for what he described as a new chapter in Iraqi statehood.
In the same statement, Al-Zaidi said Oct. 1 “would mark a new day in Iraq's statehood,” and that Iraq would be “free of any foreign military presence” once the withdrawal is complete.
AP reported that a U.S. official confirmed the U.S. expects to complete its pullout by Sept. 30 but declined to say how many troops remain in Iraq or where they would be redeployed.
Two Iraqi Kurdish officials told AP that a drawdown of U.S. troops and military equipment from Erbil began about three weeks ago, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.
AP also said Al-Zaidi affirmed Sept. 30 as the “fixed and final date” for ending the military mission of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in Iraq and completing the departure of its forces.
Arms handover and risks
Iraq’s Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi also set a Sept. 30 deadline for non-state armed groups in Iraq to give up their weapons, saying they will have no justification to carry arms once the foreign troops withdraw.
AP reported that it seems unlikely the Iraqi government will meet its deadline for disarming non-state groups, adding that some of the country’s most powerful Iran-backed militias have said they have no intention of giving up their weapons.
Arab News said Iraq’s government confirmed the U.S.-led coalition is preparing to withdraw its forces from the Kurdistan region and transfer bases to Iraqi forces before a deadline of Sept. 30, with Government spokesperson Haider Al Aboudi saying “these sites will be in the custody of Iraqi security agencies.”
Arab News also reported that the Kurdistan region hosts several key coalition sites used for training, logistics and air operations targeting Daesh remnants.
In the AP account, the U.S. mission is described as having shifted away from direct combat operations after the coalition ended its combat operations in 2021, while the planned exit comes as Iraq seeks to strengthen its sovereignty over security affairs.