2026-08-12T17:24:48+00:00
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Shafaq News- Baghdad
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi
reaffirmed on Wednesday that Iraq will be free of foreign military forces from
October 1, during a meeting with US Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper,
with September 30 set as the final deadline for the Global Coalition to end its
military mission and complete the departure of its forces.
Al-Zaidi described the post-withdrawal
phase as “a new day in the path of the Iraqi state,” when the country would
exercise full sovereignty over its territory and continue building its security
and military capabilities to safeguard its stability on its own.
The premier also stressed that
weapons must be confined exclusively to state authority in accordance with the
law, arguing that the measure would “protect everyone” and provide a foundation
for development and prosperity.
September 30 also marks Baghdad’s
deadline for bringing weapons under exclusive state control. The State
Administration Coalition (SAC), representing Iraq’s main Shiite, Sunni, and
Kurdish political forces, had warned that armed activity outside state
institutions after that date “will be treated as unlawful.”
During the meeting, both sides
affirmed their “full and final agreement” on ending the Coalition’s military
mission under arrangements reached during Al-Zaidi’s visit to Washington in
mid-July. Iraqi-US relations are set to “transition toward cooperation and
partnership in the economic, development, and security fields, based on mutual
respect for sovereignty and the mutual interests of both countries.”
Read more: Iraqi Army after US-led Coalition withdrawal
Washington has repeatedly called on
the Iraqi government to dissolve Iran-aligned armed factions and warned against
Iranian influence in Baghdad. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI), an umbrella
of Iran-aligned armed factions, has long demanded the departure of Coalition
forces, citing the need to confront the “American occupation” as justification
for its armed presence.
Read more: Days to disarm Iraq’s factions: deadline or negotiable ceiling?