The United States plans to withdraw all of its troops from Iraq by September 30, bringing an end to the U.S. military presence that began with the 2003 invasion of the country and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein’s regime.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi met with Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, and following the meeting it was announced that September 30 had been set as the “designated and final date for the conclusion of the military mission of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in Iraq and the completion of the withdrawal of its forces,” ABC News reported.
A U.S. official confirmed that the United States expects to complete the withdrawal by September 30, but declined to disclose how many U.S. troops are currently in Iraq or where they will be relocated.
“The United States, Iraq and coalition partners have achieved tremendous success in defeating ISIS, and now Iraqi security forces, including other security forces from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, will lead the fight against terrorists in Iraq,” the U.S. official said.
Two Iraqi Kurdish officials said the withdrawal of U.S. troops and military equipment from Erbil began around three weeks ago. Washington and Baghdad had reached an agreement to gradually end a significantly reduced number of U.S.-led operations against ISIS by 2024.
U.S. forces withdrew from bases across most of Iraq last year, but they have maintained a presence in the semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region.
Bases in the area have been regularly targeted since February 28, when the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran.
The U.S. military presence in Iraq peaked at more than 170,000 troops during counterinsurgency operations in 2007.
