Iran's Guards hail US exit from Iraq; Baghdad sets 2027 disarmament deadline

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a statement hailing the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq as a "historic victory," according to Daily Sabah and RT.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi announced a timeline for addressing weapons outside state control. It extends no later than 30 June 2027. Daily Sabah quoted his statement directly.

The coalition withdrawal

According to Daily Sabah, the US-led coalition formally concluded its mission and withdrew on Wednesday, 30 September. The coalition deployed to Iraq and Syria in 2014 to fight the Islamic State group. Daily Sabah reported that the group was defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019, and that coalition forces stayed afterward to fight its remnants.

Baghdad and Washington had recently agreed to wind down the mission, the outlet reported. Troops withdrew gradually from bases across Iraq and restricted their presence to the semi-autonomous northern region. The reports do not specify how many troops are there.

The disarmament deadline

According to Daily Sabah, the new deadline replaces an original 30 September deadline, which the prime minister backed away from. Some armed factions have already handed weapons to the state, while others have refused, the outlet reported. The reports do not identify which factions, or the quantities involved.

What each side says

• IRGC: The statement, carried by the Guards' official media according to Daily Sabah, said: "The U.S. must leave the region and entrust the management of security to the nations themselves." It added: "Two decades of occupation demonstrated that the U.S. presence brought no security; rather, it was the very source of insecurity, terrorism, and instability in the Middle East."
• Prime Minister al-Zaidi: "Oct. 1 is considered a serious beginning to address the issue of weapons outside state control ... according to a clear roadmap and agreed timelines extending no later than June 30, 2027," Daily Sabah quoted him as saying. He also said decisions of war and peace belong to constitutional authorities, "banning all military action to the contrary."
• Iraqi government: According to Daily Sabah, the government says the withdrawal removes the justification Iran-backed factions have used to keep their weapons.
• Kataeb Hezbollah: Military spokesman Jaafar al-Husseini spoke at an event celebrating the withdrawal, according to Daily Sabah. The outlet quoted him as saying: "the Islamic Resistance declares that it is not bound by any timetable or agreement that any governmental or political party has spoken of or may speak of." He said the factions had been in talks with the government on "regulating" their weapons but received no response. The group also called the withdrawal of what it described as occupation forces a start toward full sovereignty, and said: "A government that does not work for the good of its people will be brought down by all possible means." Daily Sabah described this as a threat to al-Zaidi's government.

What remains unclear

The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include statements from the US government, the coalition or the Kurdistan Regional Government. They do not describe the content of al-Zaidi's roadmap or with whom the timelines were agreed. They include no Iraqi government response to the factions' claims. Only RT's headline and summary were available, so most details rest on Daily Sabah alone.

Analysis

The withdrawal, as reported, shifts the debate in Iraq from foreign troops to armed groups operating outside state control. The government argues the factions' main justification for keeping weapons is gone; Kataeb Hezbollah rejects any timetable. Several paths remain possible: negotiated arrangements on "regulating" weapons, gradual handovers by some groups, or a prolonged standoff. The outcome may depend on details the reports do not include, such as the roadmap's terms, the size of the foreign presence in the north, and how Washington and Tehran respond. Much of the reporting so far rests on a single outlet.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.