ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United States remains committed to withdrawing its military forces from Iraq by September 30, a State Department spokesperson said Friday, reaffirming Washington's adherence to the agreed timeline for ending coalition military operations in the country.
“The United States is proceeding with the mutually determined transition timeline for coalition forces to end military operations in Iraq,” the spokesperson told Rudaw’s Diyar Kurda in response to an email.
“We remain focused on implementing the withdrawal of US military forces from Iraq by September 30 consistent with the announced conclusion of Operation Inherent Resolve,” the spokesperson added.
The comments come less than two weeks before the deadline and as the Iraqi government pursues a parallel effort to bring weapons held by armed groups under state control.
Washington said the transition reflects the growing capabilities of Iraqi forces, including the Kurdish Peshmerga, and marks a new phase in relations between the two countries.
The United States also reiterated its support for Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and his “efforts to enforce and exercise Iraqi sovereignty as the country embarks on a new direction under his leadership, in full partnership with the United States.”
The State Department said US President Donald Trump had made clear during Zaidi's July 14 visit to Washington that the United States supports the premier's efforts to prevent attacks in and from Iraqi territory and build a stronger bilateral relationship. Zaidi is set to visit the US again next week and meet with Trump.
Zaidi has made establishing a state monopoly over weapons a key pledge of his government. In early June, he formed a committee tasked with bringing weapons, ammunition, military equipment and camps held outside state authority under the control of official security institutions.
Several armed groups have expressed willingness to comply with the initiative, while others, including Kata'ib Hezbollah, Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada and Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, have resisted calls to surrender their weapons. Some of the factions have linked the issue to the continued presence of foreign forces in Iraq.
The September 30 coalition withdrawal had also been widely associated with Baghdad's push to bring weapons under state control. However, Qasim al-Araji, security advisor to the Iraqi prime minister, told Rudaw on Friday that there is now “no deadline” for completing the weapons-control process and that dialogue with the armed groups is continuing in a “positive atmosphere.”
The withdrawal comes as part of the transition from the US-led coalition's military mission under Operation Inherent Resolve, established to combat the Islamic State (ISIS), toward a different security relationship between Washington and Baghdad.
.jpg&w=3840&q=75)