U.S. military forces are scheduled to depart bases in Iraq on Wednesday, ending the presence of the remaining American personnel in the country, according to the Washington Post and Al Jazeera.
Al Jazeera reported that a few hundred U.S. soldiers remained in advisory roles for a coalition operation against ISIL that began in 2015. Iraq is to observe four national “Sovereignty Days” to mark the withdrawal, it said. The outlet reported that the withdrawal plan predates Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and aligns with efforts to strengthen state authority, including a goal of disarming militias by June 2027.