\u201cSeptember 30 will 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,\u201d said the statement from the prime minister\u2019s office. \u201cOctober 1 will mark a new day in the trajectory of the Iraqi state, as Iraq will be free of any foreign military presence,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n
This would place weapons under exclusive state control, which \u201crepresents an essential prerequisite for moving Iraq into a new phase of development and prosperity\u201d, the statement read. The office noted that both sides agreed on the mission’s deadline, which was discussed during al-Zaidi\u2019s visit to Washington, DC, in mid-July<\/a>.<\/p>\n The change in dynamics<\/p>\n During the meeting, Al-Zaidi and Cooper stressed that Iraqi-US ties would shift toward economic and security cooperation based on mutual respect for sovereignty and shared interests, it added. Meanwhile, a US official told The Associated Press that the US expects to complete its pullout by September 30.<\/p>\n However, the official declined to comment on exactly how many troops would remain in Iraq or where they would be redeployed. \u201cThe 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,\u201d the official said, as quoted by The Associated Press.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"world\"](\"https:\/\/images.firstpost.com\/dlxczavtqcctuei\/news18\/static\/images\/fp\/revamp_v1\/earth.svg\")
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