US military nears complete withdrawal from Iraq, ending two-decade deployment
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- Camp Victoria in Baghdad has been fully vacated by US forces and repurposed for diplomatic use, while Turkish forces face a 60-day timeline to exit Bashiqa base.
- The Iraqi government declared a state public holiday from Sept. 30 to Oct. 3 to mark "Sovereignty Days".
- The transition implements the September 27, 2024 agreement to replace the coalition combat mandate with direct bilateral defense cooperation.
The US military is close to completing its withdrawal from Iraq, with September 30 set as the definitive deadline according to Saad Maan, official spokesperson for Iraq's Security Media Cell.
Maan cited the director of the office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, who confirmed that no foreign combat forces or military bases will remain operational in the country past this date.
Detailing specific base handovers, Al-Shammari confirmed that Camp Victoria, located near Baghdad International Airport, has been completely cleared of US military forces. The facility is now being converted into a reception center for international diplomatic missions, according to Iraqi News Agency (INA).
Regarding regional forces, Al-Shammari also revealed that Turkish troops are scheduled to evacuate the Bashiqa base in Nineveh province within a maximum of 60 days as part of Iraq's comprehensive effort to clear all foreign bases from its territory.
The announcement coincides with an official declaration from the Iraqi Prime Minister’s Media Office establishing a public holiday across all state institutions from Wednesday, September 30, through Saturday, October 3, to celebrate the Republic of Iraq’s "Sovereignty Days".
The withdrawal executes the joint agreement established between the US and Iraqi governments on September 27, 2024, following nine months of intensive negotiations within the US-Iraq Higher Military Commission (HMC).
Under this framework, the decade-long mission of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh inside Iraq transitions into standard bilateral security partnerships, while Coalition operations supporting anti-Daesh efforts in northeast Syria continue from an HMC-designated platform until September 2026.
