{
  "id": 3741754,
  "title": "Foreign troops' withdrawal from Iraq 'accelerating' as deadline approaches",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/foreign-troops-withdrawal-from-iraq-accelerating-as-deadline-3741754",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-27T12:48:14.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National Business",
    "slug": "the-national-business",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/08/27/foreign-troops-withdrawal-from-iraq-accelerating-as-deadline-approaches/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "As the deadline for foreign withdrawal from Iraq approaches on September 30, the process of troop departure is accelerating, according to a government spokesman in Baghdad. Military spokesman Sabah Al Numan announced at a press conference on Thursday that the international coalition forces' withdrawal is proceeding rapidly, in coordination with the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi, who has made the September 30 deadline a priority since taking office in May, declared it \"fixed and final.\" Al Numan emphasized that September 30 would be an \"Iraqi national celebration\" marking the completion of Iraqi sovereignty. This transition to Iraqi control is seen as a new chapter, with the spokesman stating it is a \"national day on which sovereignty will be fulfilled\" and a move towards sustainable relations. Germany recently ended its military advisory mission in Iraq's Kurdish region, with the last German troops leaving Erbil on Wednesday. The spokesman explained that the German forces were essential to the coalition, providing training and support to Iraqi and Kurdish forces. He also noted that the site near Erbil International Airport will be handed over to relevant authorities, while other bases will be transferred to Kurdish security forces. Foreign troops have been in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, with the US military presence peaking at over 170,000 during Iraq's civil war in 2007. The US withdrew all combat forces in 2011 but returned in 2014 to fight ISIS. Iraq declared victory over ISIS in 2017, and the US agreed to wind down operations against ISIS remnants in 2024. By last year, most US troops had left federal Iraqi areas, maintaining a presence only in the Kurdish region, where bases have faced frequent attacks since the US and Israel launched their war on Iran on February 28.",
  "summary": "The departure of foreign coalition troops from Iraq is picking up pace as the September 30 deadline for their withdrawal approaches, a government spokesman said on Thursday. “We are witnessing an acceleration in the process of the withdrawal of the international coalition forces, in high-level co-ordination with the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces,” Sabah Al Numan, military…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National UAE",
        "title": "Foreign troops' withdrawal from Iraq 'accelerating' as deadline approaches",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/foreign-troops-withdrawal-from-iraq-accelerating-as-deadline",
        "published": "2026-08-27T12:48:14.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}