At a Glance

• Iraqi government spokesperson said September 30 marks the definitive end of the coalition's mission.
• Baghdad is organizing constitutional frameworks to control all national weapons.
• Al-Aboudi downplayed public anxiety regarding internal political or military conflict.

Iraqi government spokesperson Haider al-Aboudi affirmed that the September 30 International Coalition withdrawal deadline marks a return to normal state frameworks, with the government holding the exclusive constitutional right to monopolize the instruments of force.

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Key Statements and Focus Area

The Iraqi government spokesperson told Channel8, “The September 30 deadline has been set since 2024, representing the Iraqi state's commitment to the International Coalition for the coalition forces to withdraw from Iraqi territory by that date.”

He emphasized that “while everyone may be anticipating what happens after September 30, this deadline is, in reality, a return to the normal frameworks of the state.”

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Speaking to Channel8 regarding the upcoming coalition forces withdrawal deadline, al-Aboudi stated that coordination remains ongoing to finalize the file.

He stressed that following the deadline, the Iraqi government is organizing state frameworks through “effective dialogue and stable procedures” anchored in the constitution.

Al-Aboudi said these procedures are also bound to the legal authority of the government, which is “constitutionally granted the exclusive right to monopolize the instruments of force.”

Regarding public concerns over the deadline, which also originally involved mandates for armed factions to surrender their heavy weapons to the state, he highlighted that “the Iraqi government, along with all political and social factions, is very far removed from any potential confrontation.”

“This is because the Iraqi government, in this current phase where it has secured the confidence of both political forces and the Council of Representatives, is mandated by its ministerial program to ensure the highest level of domestic stability across the security, political, and economic sectors,” he added.

FYI

As the September 30 deadline for the U.S.-led International Coalition's withdrawal approaches, the Iraqi government is enforcing a parallel mandate to bring all weapons under strict state control. 

While some factions, including Saraya al-Salam and Asaib Ahl al-Haq, have reportedly initiated the handover of heavy weaponry, other groups, such as Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat al-Nujaba, maintain that disarmament is conditional upon the complete withdrawal of foreign forces from the country.

During a meeting with U.S. CENTCOM Commander Charles Brad Cooper last Wednesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi explicitly confirmed that “September 30 will be a fixed and final date for ending the military mission of the international coalition in Iraq and completing the departure of its forces.” 

He emphasized that “October 1 will be a new day in the trajectory of the Iraqi state, Iraq will be free of any foreign military presence, having completed its full national sovereignty,” while outlining a transition toward a broader strategic partnership.

However, Security and Defense Committee member Mazin Gharib told Channel8 earlier that the disarmament process remains severely challenged by the fact that the government lacks an exact figure regarding the size of the weapons stockpiles currently held by various armed groups. 

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