Iraq, U.S. confirm agreement to end international coalition mission by Sept. 30

Baghdad, Aug. 13 (SANA) Iraq and the United States have confirmed a final agreement to end the international coalition’s military mission in Iraq by Sept. 30, with all foreign military forces set to leave the country, the Iraqi prime minister’s office said.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi reaffirmed the timetable during talks in Baghdad with U.S. Central Command chief Brad Cooper, according to a statement posted by the prime minister’s media office on X Wednesday.

“Iraq will, as of Oct. 1, be free of any foreign military presence,” al-Zaidi said.

The prime minister also stressed that weapons should remain exclusively under state control in accordance with the law, saying this was essential to strengthening state sovereignty and the rule of law.

Bringing weapons under state authority would also help achieve security and stability and allow Iraq to move toward a new phase of development and prosperity, he said.

Al-Zaidi and Cooper said Iraqi-U.S. relations would shift after the coalition mission ends toward broader cooperation and partnership in economic, development and security fields, based on mutual respect for sovereignty and the shared interests of both countries.

Washington and Baghdad announced in September 2024 that they had agreed on a two-phase plan to end the mission of the international coalition formed to fight ISIS. The second phase of the plan was scheduled to run through September 2026.

N.J/ABD