The US military will withdraw completely from Iraq by September 30, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said during a meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington, quoted by DPA, BTA reported.
"Well, we don't think there's a need for the military to be there anymore," Trump said at the White House. He added that the US was ready to help if Iraq needed it, but he didn't believe it would be necessary.
Trump and al-Zaidi confirmed the previously announced timetable for the long-discussed withdrawal. The number of American troops has already been reduced in recent months. In January, US troops completely left the key Ain al-Assad base and handed control over to Iraqi security forces. Previously, about 2,500 American troops were stationed in the country, according to US figures. After the withdrawal from Ain al-Assad, US troops remained in Erbil in the Kurdish region, at a base near Baghdad airport and in the government-controlled area of the capital known as the Green Zone. Zaidi's government has linked the planned US withdrawal to the disarmament of militias that have significant military and political influence in Iraq and are supported by Iran to varying degrees. This disarmament is due to be completed by September 30th — a huge challenge, as the country's most powerful militias reject it.
Armed groups will not have the right to exist after that date, Az Zaidi said.
In 2014, the United States created an international coalition in Iraq and neighboring Syria to fight the terrorist group "Islamic State". The operation began after the militias seized large areas there.