Officials Say US Forces on Track to Complete Iraq Pullout by Sept. 30

U.S. Military officials said Wednesday that American forces are on pace to complete a full withdrawal from Iraq by September 30, ending a presence that began with the 2003 invasion of Saddam Hussein's regime.

The U.S. And Iraq agreed in 2024 to scale back American-led operations against the Islamic State group. While U.S. Troops had departed bases across most of Iraq in the previous year, they maintained positions in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in the north. Those bases have faced regular attacks since the U.S. And Israel began military operations against Iran on February 28.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi met with Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, on Wednesday. Al-Zaidi stated afterward that September 30 would 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."

A U.S. Official confirmed the expectation to complete withdrawal by that date but did not disclose troop numbers or redeployment locations. "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 official said.

Two Iraqi Kurdish officials, speaking anonymously, reported that a drawdown of U.S. Troops and equipment from Erbil began roughly three weeks prior.

The U.S. Military presence peaked at over 170,000 troops during 2007 counterinsurgency operations. The final combat troops left in December 2011, but American forces returned in 2014 when the Islamic State's territorial expansion prompted an Iraqi government invitation. After IS lost its territorial holdings, coalition operations ended in 2021, though approximately 2,500 troops remained for training and counter-IS work.

Al-Zaidi has also established a September 30 deadline for Iraqi non-state armed groups to surrender weapons, stating they will lack justification to retain arms once foreign troops depart. However, some powerful Iran-backed militias have indicated they do not intend to disarm.