Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has described 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 prime minister’s office announced the position after al-Zaidi met US Central Command Commander General Brad Cooper on Wednesday.
A US official separately confirmed that the United States expects to complete its pullout by that date, but did not disclose how many US troops remain in Iraq or where they would be redeployed.
What the deadline covers
The deadline applies to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIL’s military mission in Iraq and the departure of its forces, according to a statement from the Iraqi prime minister’s office. The office said both sides had agreed to the date discussed during al-Zaidi’s visit to Washington, DC, in mid-July.
The statement said October 1 would begin a new phase in which Iraq would be free of foreign military presence. It also identified placing all weapons under exclusive state control as an essential prerequisite for Iraq’s next phase of development and prosperity.
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How the withdrawal reached this point
The US presence began with the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Washington and Baghdad agreed in 2024 to wind down the much smaller US-led operations against the ISIL armed group, after coalition military operations had ended in 2021.
US troops left bases in most parts of Iraq last year but retained a presence in the semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region. Those bases have regularly come under attack since the United States and Israel launched the war on Iran on February 28, according to the source material.
What happens to security cooperation
The US official said Iraqi security forces, including the Peshmerga and other security forces in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, would lead the fight against terrorists in Iraq. The official said the United States, Iraq and coalition partners had achieved major success against ISIL.
More context: Israel sets Hamas disarmament condition for Gaza withdrawal.
Al-Zaidi and Cooper said Iraqi-US relations would move toward economic and security cooperation based on mutual respect for sovereignty and shared interests. The planned departure would end the latest phase of a US military presence that expanded to more than 170,000 troops during counterinsurgency operations in 2007; the final combat troops left in December 2011, before ISIL’s 2014 territorial advance prompted their return at the Iraqi government’s invitation.
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