(Exclusive) Senior Iraqi Officer: The International Coalition Begins Withdrawal Procedures from Baghdad
(Exclusive) Senior Iraqi Officer: The International Coalition Begins Withdrawal Procedures from Baghdad
2024-09-21 02:31
Shafaq News/ A senior Iraqi officer revealed on Saturday that the international coalition forces have begun special procedures in preparation for withdrawing from the capital, Baghdad.
The senior officer explained to Shafaq News Agency that these measures include sites in the Green Zone and joint operations, within a context that is expected to actually end in the middle of next year, with the move to an alternative site in the Kurdistan Region according to initial information.
The officer indicated that the actual evacuation will take place in the middle of next year 2025 or shortly before, and it is scheduled to take place from the Green Zone and joint operations sites.
Washington and Baghdad have reached an agreement on a plan for the withdrawal of US-led international coalition forces from Iraq, with reports indicating that hundreds of troops will leave by September 2025, and the rest by the end of the following year.
The agreement is awaiting approval from the leaderships of the two countries and setting an “official” date for its announcement during the current month.
The United States and Iraq aim to establish a new advisory relationship that could keep some U.S. forces in Iraq after the withdrawal.
An “official” announcement was scheduled to be made weeks ago, but was postponed due to regional escalation following the Gaza events and incidents such as the bombing of the Ain al-Asad base.
Last August, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry confirmed that the announcement of the end of the coalition’s mission had been postponed, with the Foreign Minister indicating that the circumstances of the negotiations had changed.
There were also warnings from armed factions that attacks could resume if negotiations continued to stall.
The agreement came after more than six months of talks, which the Iraqi prime minister began in January 2023, amid escalating attacks by Iranian-backed factions on US forces.
shafaq.com
