US
to
withd aw
emai i g
t oops
f om
I aq
by
Septembe
30,
officials
say
(Rep ese tative
image)
The
US
is
o
cou se
to
withd aw
its
emai i g
t oops
f om
I aq
by
Septembe
30,
acco di g
to
US
a d
I aqi
officials,
e di g
a
milita y
p ese ce
that
bega
with
the
2003
i vasio .I aqi
P ime
Mi iste
Ali
al-Zaidi
eaffi med
the
Septembe
30
date
du i g
a
meeti g
with
US
Ce t al
Comma d
chief
admi al
B ad
Coope
o
Wed esday,
calli g
it
the
“fixed
a d
fi al
date”
fo
e di g
the
Global
Coalitio ’s
milita y
missio
agai st
ISIS
i
I aq.
A
US
official
also
co fi med
the
pla ed
withd awal
but
did
ot
disclose
how
ma y
t oops
emai
o
whe e
they
would
be
edeployed.The
US
had
al eady
withd aw
t oops
f om
most
I aqi
bases
last
yea ,
while
mai tai i g
a
p ese ce
i
the
semi-auto omous
Ku dish
egio .
Two
Ku dish
officials
said
the
d awdow
of
US
pe so el
a d
milita y
equipme t
f om
E bil
had
begu
about
th ee
weeks
ago.
The
bases
i
the
egio
have
faced
epeated
attacks
si ce
the
US
a d
Is ael
lau ched
thei
wa
agai st
I a
o
Feb ua y
28.Washi gto
a d
Baghdad
ag eed
i
2024
to
wi d
dow
the
US-led
missio
agai st
ISIS.
The
coalitio
e ded
its
combat
ope atio s
i
2021
afte
ISIS
lost
the
te ito y
it
had
co t olled,
though
a ou d
2,500
US
t oops
emai ed
fo
t ai i g
a d
cou te te o ism
suppo t.The
US
milita y
p ese ce
has
go e
th ough
seve al
phases
i
I aq.
Mo e
tha
170,000
Ame ica
t oops
we e
deployed
at
the
height
of
cou te i su ge cy
ope atio s
i
2007,
befo e
the
last
combat
t oops
left
i
2011.
US
fo ces
etu ed
i
2014
afte
ISIS
seized
la ge
pa ts
of
I aq
a d
Sy ia,
at
the
i vitatio
of
the
I aqi
gove me t.The
pla ed
US
exit
also
comes
alo gside
a
I aqi
push
to
disa m
a med
g oups.
Al-Zaidi
has
set
Septembe
30
as
the
deadli e
fo
o -state
militias
to
su e de
thei
weapo s,
a gui g
that
the
g oups
would
have
o
justificatio
to
emai
a med
o ce
fo eig
fo ces
leave.Howeve ,
the
AP
epo t
said
the
deadli e
is
u likely
to
be
met.
Some
of
I aq’s
most
powe ful
I a -backed
militias
have
ejected
the
idea
of
givi g
up
thei
weapo s,
while
some
a med
g oups
have
lo g
cited
the
p ese ce
of
US
t oops
as
a
easo
fo
mai tai i g
thei
a se als.
