Overview
- Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al‑Zaidi met with U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper on Wednesday and affirmed Sept. 30 as the fixed date to end the Global Coalition’s military mission and complete the withdrawal.
- A U.S. official told reporters that Washington expects to finish the pullout by the Sept. 30 deadline but declined to disclose how many troops remain in Iraq or where they will be redeployed.
- Two anonymous Iraqi Kurdish officials said a drawdown of U.S. troops and equipment from Erbil began about three weeks ago as coalition forces prepare to transfer bases to Iraqi authorities.
- Baghdad has set the same Sept. 30 deadline for non‑state armed groups to surrender weapons, a demand that many powerful Iran‑aligned militias have publicly refused to meet.
- The exit closes a U.S. presence that began with the 2003 invasion and follows a 2024 agreement to wind down the mission against ISIS, leaving questions about security, militia enforcement, and how Iraqi forces will sustain counter‑ISIS operations after coalition forces leave.