The US-led coalition is officially ending its long mission in Iraq after more than ten years of operations. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has announced that October 1, the day right after the final departure, will be marked as Sovereignty Day.
Coalition forces first arrived in Iraq and Syria in 2014 to confront the Daesh militant group that had taken control of large areas and carried out brutal attacks. The group was defeated in Iraq by 2017 and in Syria by 2019, yet coalition troops remained to deal with remaining fighters. In 2024 Baghdad and Washington agreed to gradually close the mission. Troops pulled back from bases across the country and limited their presence to the northern Kurdistan region. Their complete withdrawal from that area is set for Wednesday.
The Iraqi government sees the exit as a chance to remove the main reason powerful armed factions have used to keep their weapons. Leaders of the executive, legislative and judicial branches stated that Sovereignty Day affirms Iraq’s full path to independence and strengthens state institutions. They stressed that weapons held outside state control must be handled according to government timelines so that the state alone holds authority.
Prime Minister Zaidi, who took office this year with American support, has promised to give the state a clear monopoly on arms and to bring faction weapons under official control. His government first set a September 30 deadline for disarmament but later removed the fixed date while talks continue to regulate the issue. Senior politicians are now trying to reach a compromise because several strong groups refuse to hand over their arms.
Groups such as Kataeb Hezbollah called the departure of foreign forces a first step toward full sovereignty, yet they also warned the government that any leadership failing to serve the people would face strong resistance. During the fight against Daesh both the coalition and Iraqi factions shared a common enemy. Once that threat faded, the continued presence of foreign troops became a major source of tension. Factions demanded their exit and launched drone and missile attacks, which led to American retaliatory strikes.
In the Kurdistan region people in Erbil remain worried about future protection once coalition air defenses leave. The coalition already left Syria earlier this year. The end of the mission now opens a new chapter focused on Iraq’s own security and control of weapons inside its borders.
