Iraq has announced that September 30 will be the final deadline for ending the military mission of the US-led international coalition against ISIL (ISIS) and completing the withdrawal of foreign coalition forces from the country.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi made the announcement following a meeting with US Central Command Commander General Brad Cooper. According to the Iraqi prime minister’s office, both sides reaffirmed the timetable previously discussed during al-Zaidi’s visit to Washington in July.
The announcement marks a significant turning point in Iraq’s relationship with the United States and brings closer the end of a long-standing foreign military presence that began with the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
A New Phase for Iraq
The Iraqi government said September 30 is a “fixed and final” date for completing the departure of coalition forces. October 1, it said, will begin a new period in which Iraq is expected to have no foreign military presence.
Baghdad and Washington had already agreed to gradually end the coalition’s military mission. The coalition was originally established to help Iraq fight ISIL after the armed group captured large areas of Iraq and Syria in 2014.
Although the coalition’s territorial fight against ISIL formally ended in 2021, US personnel remained in Iraq to support Iraqi security forces and provide assistance in counterterrorism efforts.
The latest plan represents a further reduction of the US military role. American troops have already left bases in most parts of Iraq, although a US military presence continued in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.
From War to Security Cooperation
The scale of the US military presence in Iraq has changed dramatically over the past two decades. At the height of counterinsurgency operations in 2007, more than 170,000 US troops were deployed in the country.
The last US combat troops left Iraq in December 2011. However, the rise of ISIL several years later prompted Baghdad to request international military assistance, leading to the return of US forces as part of the campaign against the armed group.
Iraq now says its own security institutions are prepared to take the leading role in combating terrorist threats. The United States has also indicated that the relationship between the two countries will increasingly focus on economic ties and security cooperation rather than a large-scale military deployment.
The Iraqi government has further stressed that bringing weapons under the exclusive authority of the state is important for the country’s future stability and development.
The September deadline therefore carries significance beyond the withdrawal itself. For Baghdad, it represents an opportunity to reinforce national sovereignty and move toward a different model of cooperation with Washington. For the United States and its coalition partners, the departure reflects the changing nature of the fight against ISIL and the growing responsibility of Iraqi security forces.
