Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi has said September 30 will remain the “fixed and final” deadline for ending the US-led international coalition’s military mission in Iraq and completing the withdrawal of its forces.

Al Zaidi made the remarks on Wednesday during a meeting with US Central Command Commander General Brad Cooper, according to a statement from the Iraqi prime minister’s office.

“September 30 will be the fixed and final date for ending the military mission of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh in Iraq and completing the departure of its forces,” the statement said.

It added that October 1 would mark “a new day” for Iraq, when the country would be free of foreign military forces.

The two sides agreed on the withdrawal timeline during Al Zaidi’s visit to Washington in mid-July, according to the prime minister’s office.

The Iraqi government said placing all weapons under exclusive state control was an essential condition for moving the country into a new phase of development and prosperity.

Al Zaidi and Cooper also agreed that Iraq-US relations would move toward economic and security cooperation based on mutual respect for Iraqi sovereignty and shared interests.

A US official told media that Washington expected to complete its military withdrawal from Iraq by September 30, but declined to disclose the number of troops currently stationed in the country or where they would be redeployed.

The official said the United States, Iraq and coalition partners had made significant progress in defeating Daesh and that Iraqi security forces, including the Peshmerga and other forces in the Kurdistan Region, would take the lead in combating remaining militant threats.

US military presence in Iraq

US forces withdrew from bases in most parts of Iraq last year but retained a presence in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region in the north.

Those bases have come under repeated attack since the United States and Israel launched military operations against Iran on February 28.

The planned withdrawal would mark the end of a US military presence that began with the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

At the height of US counterinsurgency operations in 2007, the American military presence in Iraq exceeded 170,000 troops.

The last US combat troops withdrew in December 2011, but American forces returned in 2014 after Daesh seized large areas of Iraq and Syria, following an invitation from the Iraqi government.

Coalition military operations against Daesh formally ended in 2021 after the group lost control of the territory it had seized.

Washington and Baghdad agreed in 2024 to gradually wind down the remaining US-led coalition operations against Daesh, paving the way for the current withdrawal timeline.