Online Desk 

The United States will withdraw all of its troops from Iraq by September 30, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi announced during his visit to Washington. The move will mark the end of nearly 23 years of U.S. military presence in Iraq.

Speaking after a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House, Al-Zaidi said American forces would leave Iraq within the agreed timeframe. He added, however, that U.S. companies will continue their commercial operations in the country.

Following the meeting, President Trump told reporters, “We don't think there's any need to keep our military there (in Iraq) anymore.” He also highlighted the growing cooperation between Iraq and American oil companies.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) said the withdrawal would be carried out under a 2024 agreement between Washington and Baghdad aimed at concluding the mission against the so-called Islamic State (IS). At the time the agreement was signed, approximately 2,500 U.S. troops were stationed in Iraq.

The United States launched its military invasion of Iraq in 2003, leading to the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's government. American forces remained in the country for years after the regime's collapse. The planned withdrawal is expected to bring that long military chapter to a close.

In recent months, amid heightened tensions between the United States and Iran, several attacks targeted U.S. military bases in Iraq and the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. The Iran-backed armed group Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for those attacks.