Key facts
- An Iran-backed paramilitary group in Iraq, Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, has given U.S. troops a deadline of September 30 to withdraw.
- The group's leader, Akram al-Kaabi, stated that if U.S. soldiers remain after September 30, they will not be allowed to return home safely.
- U.S. officials confirmed that American forces are on track to complete their withdrawal from Iraq by September 30.
- The U.S. military presence in Iraq began with the 2003 invasion and was re-established in 2014 to combat ISIS.
- Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has designated September 30 as the final date for the U.S.-led coalition's military mission in Iraq.
An Iran-backed paramilitary group in Iraq has issued a deadline for U.S. troops to withdraw from the country by September 30, threatening severe consequences if they remain. Akram al-Kaabi, the head of Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, stated that "If an American soldier remains in Iraq after 30 September, we will not allow them to return home safely, and only their bodies will be taken out of Iraq."
This ultimatum coincides with U.S. officials confirming that American forces are on schedule to complete their withdrawal from Iraq by the same date, marking the end of a 23-year military presence that began with the 2003 invasion. Washington and Baghdad had agreed in 2024 to wind down the U.S.-led operations against the Islamic State group.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has affirmed September 30 as the "fixed and final date" for the conclusion of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS mission in Iraq. While U.S. troops have largely departed from bases across Iraq, a presence has been maintained in the northern Kurdish region, where bases have recently come under attack amid the ongoing war between the U.S. and Israel against Iran.
The U.S. military presence in Iraq peaked at over 170,000 troops in 2007. Following the withdrawal of combat troops in 2011, U.S. forces returned in 2014 at the Iraqi government's invitation to combat the rise of the Islamic State group. After ISIS lost its territorial hold, coalition military operations officially ended in 2021, with approximately 2,500 U.S. troops remaining for training purposes.
In addition to the foreign troop withdrawal, Iraq's prime minister has also set a September 30 deadline for non-state armed groups to disarm, arguing that their justification for carrying weapons will cease with the departure of foreign troops. However, some powerful Iran-backed militias have indicated no intention of relinquishing their arms.