Iraqis Celebrate US Troop Withdrawal as Country Marks National Sovereignty Day

Thousands of Iraqis took to the streets of Baghdad on Wednesday to celebrate the withdrawal of US troops from the country, while Iraqi security forces held military parades marking National Sovereignty Day. Crowds gathered along Palestine Street in the capital, with similar celebrations reported in Najaf as Iraq marked what officials described as a significant moment for national sovereignty.

Earlier in the day, the US military completed its withdrawal from Iraq, with the final troops departing a base in Erbil under an agreement between Baghdad and Washington to end the US-led military presence in the country. The departure marks a major transition in Iraq’s post-war political and security landscape, as responsibility for national security increasingly rests with Iraqi state institutions.

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who presided over the handover ceremony, described the withdrawal as the beginning of “a new phase” centered on Iraqi sovereignty, stronger state institutions and “balanced partnerships with its friends.” The celebrations reflected a broader political message in Iraq: that sovereignty is not simply the absence of foreign troops, but the ability of a state to determine its own security, institutions and international relationships.