World | By Jahanzaib Saqib
BAGHDAD — Iraq has declared September 30 a “fixed and final” deadline for the US-led military coalition to end its mission and withdraw its remaining forces from the country, with an American official confirming that Washington expects the pullout to be completed on schedule.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi reaffirmed the deadline Wednesday after meeting Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command, as Baghdad prepares to close a chapter of American military involvement that stretches back more than two decades.
A US official confirmed that American forces are on track to complete the withdrawal by September 30, but did not disclose how many troops remain or where they could be redeployed.
Baghdad Says There Will Be No Extension
The Iraqi government’s language leaves little room for ambiguity.
Al-Zaidi described September 30 as the final date for ending the military mission of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in Iraq and completing the departure of coalition forces.
The withdrawal follows an agreement reached between Washington and Baghdad to wind down the coalition mission that began in 2014, when US forces returned to Iraq as the Islamic State seized large areas of Iraq and neighboring Syria.
ISIS subsequently lost its territorial stronghold, while the role of American troops increasingly shifted toward training, intelligence and support for Iraqi security forces.
US Confirms Withdrawal Is on Track
Washington is publicly signaling that it intends to honor the deadline.
Some equipment has already begun moving out of the northern Kurdish region, where part of the remaining American contingent has been based.
The withdrawal would mark another major transformation in the US military footprint in Iraq. American forces first entered the country during the 2003 invasion, withdrew in 2011 and returned in 2014 as part of the international campaign against ISIS.
Why the Timing Is Particularly Sensitive
The departure is taking place during a period of extraordinary instability across the Middle East.
Iraq has found itself under increasing pressure as confrontation involving the United States, Iran and Iran-aligned armed groups has spread across the region. Recent attacks have again highlighted Baghdad’s difficult position between Washington and Tehran.
The Iraqi government is simultaneously attempting to bring weapons held by non-state armed groups under state control.
Baghdad has also set September 30 as a deadline connected to that effort, but powerful Iran-aligned factions have resisted disarmament, making that process considerably more difficult.
What Happens After US Forces Leave?
Ending the coalition mission does not necessarily mean the end of all security cooperation between Iraq and the United States.
Washington and Baghdad can continue bilateral military training, intelligence cooperation, arms sales and counterterrorism coordination under separate arrangements.
The larger question is whether Iraqi security forces can contain any renewed ISIS threat while Baghdad simultaneously manages powerful armed groups operating outside the conventional military structure.
Why It Matters
September 30 could become one of the most consequential dates in modern US-Iraq relations.
For Washington, completing the withdrawal would close the latest phase of a military presence rooted in the 2003 invasion and revived by the rise of ISIS.
For Baghdad, it represents an assertion that Iraq intends to take full responsibility for its security.
But the withdrawal is occurring at a dangerous moment. Iraq remains caught between competing regional powers, ISIS has not disappeared as a security threat, and the government is confronting the politically explosive question of armed groups operating outside state control.
The US troops may therefore be leaving, but the struggle over who ultimately controls Iraq’s security landscape is far from over.