President Barzani Warns of Consequences and Risks of U.S. and Coalition Withdrawal from Iraq

ARK News.. President Masoud Barzani warned of the consequences and risks of the withdrawal of U.S. forces and the international coalition from Iraq, expressing concern that the scenario of 2011, which was followed by the rise of ISIS, could be repeated. He also stressed the need for weapons to remain under the control of the state and subject to the rule of law.

During a special television interview with Al Sharqiya, scheduled to be broadcast in full at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, on Al Sharqiya and Kurdistan 24, President Barzani recalled the circumstances surrounding the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq in 2011, when around 100,000 American troops were stationed in the country. He highlighted discussions in Baghdad at the time over whether to conclude a bilateral agreement with Washington or proceed with a full withdrawal.

President Barzani recounted a conversation during one of the meetings, attended by the ministers of defence and interior at the time. He said:

“I asked the defence minister: Do you have the strength and capability to protect the country? He replied, ‘I swear to God, I have nothing.’ Then I asked the interior minister, who said, ‘I swear to God, I cannot even protect a single camp.’”

Barzani continued:

“I asked those present: if an American officer entered this room now, could he not arrest all of us? One of them said, ‘One soldier could do that.’ I told them: Would it not be better to conclude a bilateral agreement that would end the occupation phase, restore sovereignty and ensure stability? But they did not listen and instead prioritised political conflicts. The result was the withdrawal of the Americans and the arrival of ISIS. Today, I fear that the same scenario could be repeated.”

Regarding setting a timeline for resolving the issue of armed groups and the withdrawal of their weapons, Barzani said setting September 30 as a deadline could be extremely difficult and complicated. However, he said that even if the process took several additional months and the issue were resolved peacefully, it would constitute a victory and a gain for Iraq as a whole, as well as for the armed groups themselves.

Barzani stressed that “the principle is that weapons must be under the control of the government and the authority of the law and must only be used on the direct orders of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, rather than according to the wishes or actions of any party.”

On the risk of an internal conflict erupting as a result of restructuring the weapons of armed factions, Barzani said, "I hope this issue does not reach the level of war and armed confrontation, because that would serve neither Iraq nor the Kurdistan Region nor any of the parties involved.”

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