US completes military withdrawal from Iraq

FILE PHOTO - A US army soldier stands guard during the pull-out ceremony from the Qayyarah airbase in 2020. (is associated with: «US military completes withdrawal from Iraq, Baghdad official says») Ameer Al Mohammedaw/dpa

The United States has completed the withdrawal of its military forces from Iraq, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fawad Hussein said on Monday.

Hussein said the American forces had completely withdrawn from Iraqi territory under an agreement between Baghdad and Washington.

The announcement came two days before the previously scheduled Sept. 30 deadline for the withdrawal of the remaining US forces and the end of the US-led international coalition’s military mission in Iraq.

According to the report by Safir, a Middle Eastern media outlet, the withdrawal followed the conclusion of the US-led international coalition’s military mission in Iraq.

“The withdrawal of American forces has taken place while the Iraqi government is trying to transfer full security responsibility to Iraqi forces after the end of the coalition’s military presence and continue security and defense cooperation within the framework of bilateral relations,” the report said.

The US and Iraq had agreed in 2024 to wind down the US-led military mission against the Islamic State group.

The Associated Press had reported in August that the US military was on track to withdraw all its forces from Iraq by the end of September, marking the end of a presence that began with the 2003 invasion.

AP quoted Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi as saying he had 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.”

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A US official also confirmed to AP at the time that Washington expected to complete its pullout by Sept. 30, but declined to say how many troops remained in Iraq or where they would be redeployed.

“The United States, Iraq and coalition partners have achieved tremendous success in defeating ISIS and now the Iraqi security forces, including the Peshmerga and other Iraqi Kurdistan Region security forces, will lead the fight against terrorists in Iraq,” the US official said.

Earlier on Monday, The National reported that US forces were still scheduled to depart Iraq on Wednesday, with the “withdrawal expected to transition into a bilateral advisory, training and intelligence-sharing relationship between Washington and Baghdad.”

The withdrawal ends the US military presence in Iraq that began with the 2003 invasion.

US forces left Iraq in 2011 but returned in 2014 after the Islamic State group’s territorial expansion, with the subsequent mission focused on countering the group and supporting Iraqi security forces.

The latest announcement by Hussein indicates that the remaining US forces have now left Iraqi territory ahead of the previously announced September 30 deadline.