Iraq Announces Accelerating Withdrawal of Foreign Coalition Troops Ahead of September Deadline

The departure of foreign coalition troops from Iraq is picking up pace as the September 30 deadline for their withdrawal approaches, a government spokesman announced on Thursday.

“We are witnessing an acceleration in the process of the withdrawal of the international coalition forces, in high-level co-ordination with the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces,” said Sabah Al Numan, military spokesman for Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi, during a press conference in Baghdad.

Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi has made meeting the deadline for the withdrawal of the US-led global anti-ISIS coalition one of his primary objectives since taking office in May, declaring earlier this month that the timeline was “fixed and final.”

Mr Al Numan stated that September 30—which has also been set as the deadline for non-state Iraqi armed groups to surrender their weapons—will mark “an Iraqi national celebration and the completion of Iraqi sovereignty.” Officials in Baghdad emphasize that ending the foreign anti-ISIS mission represents a transition to sustainable relations while prioritizing Iraq's supreme interests.

The announcement followed Germany's formal conclusion of its military advisory mission in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, with the final German troops departing from the regional capital of Erbil on Wednesday. Mr Al Numan acknowledged the essential role played by German forces in training Iraqi and Peshmerga forces, running armament programs, and conducting aerial reconnaissance.

Following the departure, coalition sites near the Erbil International Airport will be transferred to relevant authorities, while other military bases will be handed over to the Peshmerga, the security forces of the Kurdish region.

Foreign forces have maintained a presence in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Although US combat forces withdrew by 2011, they returned in 2014 as part of the anti-ISIS coalition. Following Iraq's declaration of victory over ISIS in 2017, Iraq and the US agreed in 2024 to conclude smaller operations against remaining ISIS remnants, leading to a consolidation of US troops primarily within the Kurdish region.