Prime Minister: Coalition mission ends as Iraq declares full sovereignty

Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi confirmed on Wednesday that the country is entering a new phase with the conclusion of the international coalition's mission against ISIS, stressing that the concept of sovereignty requires limiting weapons to the government and ridding Iraqi territory of foreign military presence. In a speech delivered on the occasion of Sovereignty Day corresponding to September 30, he stated that this announcement marks Iraq's transition from an arena for regional and international conflicts to an independent sovereign homeland that protects its decisions and territory. He pointed out that the Iraqi people incurred heavy losses throughout years of patience, and multiple weapons proliferated until the country turned into a theater for foreign interventions at the expense of the security and stability of its citizens. He expressed gratitude and appreciation to the supreme religious authority in Najaf for its decisive role in defending Iraq and its people, praising the sacrifices of the martyrs and the wounded, and saluting all branches of the armed forces, including the army, police, counter-terrorism service, Popular Mobilization Forces, Peshmerga forces, and all security formations. He commended the positions of national forces whose combat formations joined under the direct command of the Commander-in-Chief, directing a call to the combatants to be an essential part of the state's apparatus rather than outside it. He explained that the place of weapons and armed elements lies within official state institutions, calling for utilizing experiences and sacrifices to strengthen Iraq's power under a unified national doctrine, a single banner, and a centralized security and military decision. He stressed that state institutions welcome all their sons to organize their capabilities within the frameworks of the constitution and the law, noting that the equation of sovereignty is based on a single weapon under state authority, the absence of foreign forces, and a comprehensive national decision. In his message to the citizens, he pointed out that loyalty to sovereignty requires defending the country's wealth and preserving public funds, confirming the continuation of facing difficulties and enhancing state resources, and pledging to preserve the trust and harness energies to serve the homeland. He announced, in a related context, his waiver of receiving any salary or financial allocations from the public treasury, emphasizing the pursuit of establishing principles that make leadership positions a duty rather than a privilege and a responsibility rather than personal gains. He concluded the speech by affirming that Iraq remains a sovereign and united country, glorifying the will of its great people, and remembering with utmost pride and honor the righteous martyrs of the nation.