Why it matters:
Iraq’s move highlights its determination to end more than two decades of U.S. military presence and foreign interference, which began with Washington’s 2003 invasion—an operation widely condemned across the region as an illegal occupation.
Driving the news:
In an interview with Rudaw on Saturday, Prime Minister al-Sudani confirmed that Iraq has begun direct talks with the U.S.-led coalition, formed in 2014 to allegedly combat Daesh (ISIS). He emphasized that current security conditions no longer justify the presence of foreign troops.
The big picture:
Washington and Baghdad had reached an initial agreement in September 2024 to gradually reduce the U.S. military footprint, particularly at key bases such as Ain al-Asad in western Iraq and Camp Victoria near Baghdad. The plan aimed to complete withdrawals by September 2025.
Earlier, in January 2020, Iraq’s parliament voted overwhelmingly to expel all foreign troops following the U.S. assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis near Baghdad airport—an operation widely criticized as a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty.
State of play:
- Foreign troops first entered Iraq in 2003 during the U.S.-led invasion.
- Most American forces withdrew in 2011, but returned in 2014 under the pretext of fighting Daesh.
- Despite the 2020 parliamentary resolution, U.S. troops have remained stationed in Iraq.
- Baghdad is now seeking a final, structured withdrawal aligned with its security needs.
What he is saying:
“Iraq of 2024 is not the Iraq of 2014. Today, our security situation is stable, and our forces are deployed across all regions. I personally visited Wadi Horan, a place no one could enter before,” al-Sudani said.
The prime minister added that the ongoing discussions are based on a two-year timetable, with coalition forces set to fully withdraw by September 2026. The relationship, he noted, would then transition from a military partnership to a bilateral security cooperation framework.
Al-Sudani stressed that Iraq must no longer serve as a battleground for “regional and international conflicts,” underscoring that sovereignty and internal security must guide Baghdad’s defense policies.
Between the lines:
The push for a complete withdrawal reflects both domestic pressure and shifting security realities. Iraqi forces have expanded control and capability, while U.S. involvement has increasingly drawn criticism amid rising regional tensions linked to Israel’s war in Gaza and U.S. operations in West Asia.
Go deeper:
Iraq Rejects U.S Proposal to Extend Military Presence, Agrees on Two-Phase Withdrawal
Zohre Khazaee - Mojtaba Darabi
