US troops prepare to leave Iraqi Kurdistan by Sept. 30, report
DUBAI: Iraq’s government has confirmed that the US-led military coalition is preparing to withdraw its forces from the Kurdistan region and transfer bases to Iraqi forces before a deadline of Sept. 30.
“The work is proceeding at an organised pace towards completing this file on September 30 and these sites will be in the custody of Iraqi security agencies,” Government spokesperson, Haider Al Aboudi, told reporters on Monday.
The September 30 deadline was agreed by Baghdad and Washington in 2024 as part of a wider deal to shift the US-led coalition’s mission in Iraq away from combat and advisory operations and towards bilateral security cooperation. The Kurdistan region hosts several key coalition sites used for training, logistics and air operations targeting ISIS remnants.
His commments echoed previous remarks by Prime Minister, Ali Al Zaidi, who reprotedly told several EU ambassadords to Baghdad that Iraq was taking practical steps to completlete the withdrawl by the deadline.
