US troops to fully withdraw from Iraq by September 30

The US-led international coalition will completely withdraw its troops from Iraqi territory by September 30, Al Jazeera reported, citing Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi.

Zaidi said the deadline was "firm and final." His statement came after a meeting with General Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command. US-led forces invaded Iraq in 2003 and overthrew the government of former leader Saddam Hussein. The last combat troops were withdrawn from Iraq in December 2011.

However, in 2014, the rise of ISIS and its capture of large areas of Iraq and Syria led to the return of US forces at the request of the Iraqi government. The coalition's military operations ended in 2021 after ISIS lost control of the territories it claimed.

The Iraqi prime minister's office said in a statement that October 1 would mark a new day for Iraqi statehood, as Iraq would be free of any foreign military presence.

The deadline was set during al-Zaidi's visit to Washington in mid-July. During the meeting, the two sides stressed mutual respect for sovereignty and the transition to economic and security cooperation.

The US official said the troops were expected to be withdrawn by September 30. However, he declined to say how many troops would remain in Iraq or where they would be stationed.

US troops withdrew from most of Iraq in 2024, but they remain in the semi-autonomous northern Kurdistan region. Military bases there have been regularly attacked since the US and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28.

The US currently has about 2,500 troops in Iraq. The US military is mainly based at three military bases: one in Baghdad, another in western Anbar province, and another in the northern Kurdistan region.