Iraq PM hails new era of ‘sovereignty’ after US military leaves

Iraq's Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on Wednesday hailed a new era of sovereignty as the US-led coalition formally ended its military mission in the country, more than a decade after it was deployed to fight the Islamic State group.

Iraq’s Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on Wednesday hailed a new era of sovereignty as the US-led coalition formally ended its military mission in the country, more than a decade after it was deployed to fight the Islamic State group.

Coalition forces were deployed to Iraq and Syria in 2014 after Islamic State militants seized large areas of territory, committing massacres and forcing thousands of women and children into slavery.

The group was territorially defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019, but coalition forces remained in Iraq to support Iraqi and Kurdish forces against the jihadists.

The United States and Iraq agreed in 2024 on a phased transition away from the coalition’s military mission. Most coalition forces left federal Iraq in 2025, while US personnel remained in the autonomous Kurdistan region until the mission formally ended on Wednesday.

The Pentagon said the United States and its coalition partners had “formally concluded Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq”, in line with a September 2024 agreement between Washington and Baghdad.

It said the United States would continue to provide targeted training and intelligence support to Iraqi forces as part of a new bilateral defence relationship.

The coalition’s military mission in Iraq was formally separate from ongoing counter-ISIS operations in Syria, which the United States will continue from a new headquarters in Jordan.

Iraqi and Kurdish forces played a central role in defeating Islamic State’s territorial control, with the US-led coalition providing military assistance, training and air support.

At a ceremony in Baghdad, Zaidi described the withdrawal as the beginning of a new phase for Iraq.

“A new phase has begun, defined by Iraq’s sovereignty, the strength of its institutions, the readiness of its forces, unity of decision-making, and balanced partnerships with its friends,” he said.

Zaidi has designated Oct. 1 as Iraq’s Sovereignty Day, marking the country’s first day without foreign military forces under the new arrangements.

The heads of Iraq’s executive, legislative and judicial branches said Monday that Sovereignty Day was “a national occasion that affirms the completion of Iraq’s path toward sovereignty and consolidates the presence of the state and its institutions”.

They also said weapons outside state authority must be addressed according to government-set timelines in a way that strengthens state sovereignty.

The issue of armed groups remains a challenge for Zaidi’s government, which has sought to strengthen the state’s control over weapons.

The powerful Kataeb Hezbollah group welcomed the withdrawal of what it called “the occupation forces”, describing it as a step towards full sovereignty, but also warned the government against policies it opposes.

“A government that doesn’t work for the good of its people will be brought down by all possible means,” the group said.

Armed groups have for years demanded the withdrawal of US forces and have previously attacked US positions with drones and missiles, prompting American retaliatory strikes against militia targets.

With the coalition mission now concluded, Iraq faces the task of maintaining security while developing its new defence relationship with Washington and addressing the question of armed groups operating outside state control.