Iraq faces two key deadlines at the end of September: the end of U.S. military presence and the disarmament of non-state armed groups. The withdrawal of U.S. forces is underway, and officials have announced that hundreds of remaining troops in northern Iraq will leave by the September 30 deadline.
Linking Troop Withdrawal and Disarmament of Armed Groups
The Iraqi government has linked the withdrawal of U.S. forces to an ultimatum for armed groups to lay down their weapons. However, most of these groups have shown no intention of doing so. This situation raises many questions about the future of Iraq.
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Iran-backed Iraqi armed groups have targeted U.S.-related objectives inside and outside Iraq since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on February 28. These groups have also coordinated with Houthi rebels in Yemen to attack Saudi Arabia.
U.S. Concerns and Future Plans
As the war between the U.S. and Iran continues, Tehran is unlikely to forgo its influence in Iraq. U.S. officials are concerned about these groups' ability to continue carrying out attacks, but these concerns are not significant enough to delay the withdrawal of forces.
U.S. forces entered Iraq in 2003 to overthrow Saddam Hussein and withdrew in 2011. However, three years later, Iraqi officials invited a smaller U.S.-led mission to combat the Islamic State group. With the threat from this group diminishing, the U.S. and Baghdad agreed in 2024 to conclude the mission.
A U.S. military official stated that the withdrawal will be completed by September 30, and most of the remaining troops in northern Iraq will be transferred to Jordan and other countries in the region. Military equipment, including air defense systems, will also be withdrawn.
Iraqi officials are ambiguous about whether September 30 is a definitive deadline for the disarmament of armed groups or merely a starting point for negotiations. Some less influential groups have agreed to hand over their weapons, but more powerful groups, especially Kata'ib Hezbollah, Harakat al-Nujaba, and Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, have rejected this possibility and set conditions for disarmament that the government can hardly meet.
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Source: abcnews.com
