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Iraq faces sovereignty test as US-led coalition exit nears

From Al Jazeera · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Iraq’s armed forces confirmed that the US-led international coalition will end its military mission in the country on September 30.
  • The withdrawal, agreed by Baghdad and Washington in 2024, includes removing US air defense systems from Erbil, which have helped intercept Iranian missiles and drones.
  • Analysts describe the deadline as largely symbolic but warn that Iraq still faces serious security and political challenges.

The US-led international military coalition will end its mission in Iraq on September 30, according to the country’s armed forces, marking what Baghdad describes as the start of a new phase in its relations with the United States and other partners.

Lieutenant General Abdul Amir al-Shammari, director of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, confirmed the date in a statement to the Iraqi News Agency. Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s security adviser, Qasim al-Araji, had also said the coalition would conclude its mission this month.

September 30 will be 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.

· The Iraqi prime minister’s officeThe office confirmed the deadline for ending the coalition’s military mission and withdrawing its forces.

Under a 2024 agreement between Baghdad and Washington, the withdrawal includes the removal of US air defense systems stationed in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region. Those systems have played a critical role in intercepting Iranian ballistic missiles and drones targeting the region amid the US-Israel war on Iran.

October 1 will mark a new day in the trajectory of the Iraqi state, as Iraq will be free of any foreign military presence.

· The Iraqi prime minister’s officeThe office presented the withdrawal as the beginning of a new phase for Iraq.

The prime minister’s office called September 30 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.” It said October 1 would begin “a new day in the trajectory of the Iraqi state,” free of foreign military forces and able to enter a new phase of development and prosperity.

The United States invaded Iraq in 2003, triggering a bloody civil war in which about 200,000 civilians were killed in war-related violence. US forces withdrew in 2011 but returned in 2015 as part of the international campaign against ISIL. Iyad al-Anbar, a political science professor at the University of Baghdad, said the current withdrawal was largely a formality. He argued that US forces had already left many former headquarters and were now concentrated mainly at Harir base in Erbil, making the deadline largely symbolic.

I believe this issue is almost agreed upon.

· Iyad al-AnbarThe University of Baghdad political science professor described the withdrawal as largely settled and mostly symbolic.
About this summary

Originally published by Al Jazeera in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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