ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi rejected a proposal to allow some US-led coalition forces to remain in the country after the September 30 withdrawal deadline, the government spokesperson said Monday.
"The prime minister rejected a proposal for some international coalition forces to remain beyond September 30," state media quoted government spokesperson Haider al-Aboudi as saying during a press briefing in Baghdad. “The government is watching regional developments with interest, and Iraq will not be part of the conflict."
He did not disclose who had presented the proposal.
The September 30 deadline for the withdrawal of US and coalition forces was established in a 2024 agreement between Baghdad and Washington. It coincides with Zaidi's deadline to disarm paramilitary factions, some of which have linked their compliance to the full withdrawal of US troops.
In early June, the Iraqi prime minister ordered the formation of a committee to oversee the disengagement of political parties and armed factions from the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a former paramilitary force that includes Tehran-aligned armed groups, with the aim of bringing all armed groups and their weapons under state control.
"The government is proceeding with completing the procedures and obligations to restrict weapons to the state, regulate their frameworks, and unify decision-making," Aboudi stated, adding that the state is exercising its legal authority to manage society.
He described dialogue with the factions as positive and ongoing, adding that "the file will end before September 30, representing a transitional phase based on cooperation and mutual interests.”
The withdrawal timeline and disarmament efforts follow a period of intense regional instability.
After the outbreak of the US-Iran war in late February, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq — an umbrella group that overlaps with the PMF and is aligned with Iran — launched roughly 700 attacks against US military bases and diplomatic missions inside and outside Iraq during the war.
In response, US forces carried out around 140 strikes on PMF bases, killing at least 70 members and injuring 270 others, according to Iraqi government figures.
"The prime minister rejected a proposal for some international coalition forces to remain beyond September 30," state media quoted government spokesperson Haider al-Aboudi as saying during a press briefing in Baghdad. “The government is watching regional developments with interest, and Iraq will not be part of the conflict."
He did not disclose who had presented the proposal.
The September 30 deadline for the withdrawal of US and coalition forces was established in a 2024 agreement between Baghdad and Washington. It coincides with Zaidi's deadline to disarm paramilitary factions, some of which have linked their compliance to the full withdrawal of US troops.
In early June, the Iraqi prime minister ordered the formation of a committee to oversee the disengagement of political parties and armed factions from the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a former paramilitary force that includes Tehran-aligned armed groups, with the aim of bringing all armed groups and their weapons under state control.
"The government is proceeding with completing the procedures and obligations to restrict weapons to the state, regulate their frameworks, and unify decision-making," Aboudi stated, adding that the state is exercising its legal authority to manage society.
He described dialogue with the factions as positive and ongoing, adding that "the file will end before September 30, representing a transitional phase based on cooperation and mutual interests.”
The withdrawal timeline and disarmament efforts follow a period of intense regional instability.
After the outbreak of the US-Iran war in late February, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq — an umbrella group that overlaps with the PMF and is aligned with Iran — launched roughly 700 attacks against US military bases and diplomatic missions inside and outside Iraq during the war.
In response, US forces carried out around 140 strikes on PMF bases, killing at least 70 members and injuring 270 others, according to Iraqi government figures.
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