Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
(27 Aug 2026)
IRAQ SECURITY NEWS CONFERENCE
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
LENGTH: 1:47
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Baghdad, Iraq - 27 August 2026
1. Top shot of news conference
2. Logo of Iraq's Security Media Cell
3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Sabah al-Numan, military spokesperson:
“We are talking about September 30, which will be a day of sovereignty and a historical day, where Iraq moves from the umbrella of the international coalition to full sovereignty. It marks the control of the security institution over the security situation, maintaining sovereignty and preserving national security. Subsequently, any weapon outside the framework of the state is not allowed, with all respect and appreciation for all weapons that were used to defeat terrorism.”
4. Close of Iraqi flags
5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Sabah al-Numan, military spokesperson:
“There is a specialized committee and open discussions with the brothers to organize this weapon (disarmament) in the way that guarantees legally preserving it in this first place, and this is a sovereign, social, and political demand. And all of society's calls demand that the weapons be under the control of the government and security and military institutions.”
6. Journalist filming news conference
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Sabah al-Numan, military spokesperson:
“We are noticing an acceleration in the withdrawal process of international coalition forces in coordination with the office of the commander-in-chief of the armed forces to facilitate the withdrawal process of these forces from their positions until we reach the specified day, which will really mark an Iraqi celebration and the completion of the Iraqi sovereignty.”
8. News conference
STORYLINE:
An Iraqi security official said international forces led by the U.S. are on track to pull all of forces out of Iraq by the end of September.
It will mark the end of the U.S. presence that started with the 2003 invasion against Saddam Hussein.
Washington and Baghdad agreed in 2024 to wind down the much smaller U.S.-led operations against the Islamic State group.
U.S. troops pulled out of bases in most areas of Iraq last year but maintained a presence in the semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region.
Bases there have regularly come under attack since the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Iran on Feb. 28.
Military spokesperson Sabah al-Numan said that Sept. 30 will mark a new beginning for Iraq on security matters, "maintaining sovereignty and preserving national security."
He also affirmed Sept. 30 as a deadline for non-state armed groups in Iraq to give up their weapons.
The Iraqi government has previously said said these groups will have no justification to carry arms once the foreign troops withdraw.
"Any weapon outside the framework of the state is not allowed," al-Numan said.
Some Iraqi militias have justified their existence by pointing to the U.S. military presence, which they describe as an occupation, although the current U.S. mission came at the invitation of the Iraqi government after IS militants rampaged across the country in 2014, seizing large swaths of territory.
It seems unlikely that the Iraqi government will meet its deadline for disarming non-state groups.
Some of the country’s most powerful Iran-backed militias and have said they have no intention of giving up their weapons.
AP video by Ali Jabar
===========================================================
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(27 Aug 2026)
IRAQ SECURITY NEWS CONFERENCE
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
LENGTH: 1:47
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Baghdad, Iraq - 27 August 2026
1. Top shot of news conference
2. Logo of Iraq's Security Media Cell
3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Sabah al-Numan, military spokesperson:
“We are talking about September 30, which will be a day of sovereignty and a historical day, where Iraq moves from the umbrella of the international coalition to full sovereignty. It marks the control of the security institution over the security situation, maintaining sovereignty and preserving national security. Subsequently, any weapon outside the framework of the state is not allowed, with all respect and appreciation for all weapons that were used to defeat terrorism.”
4. Close of Iraqi flags
5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Sabah al-Numan, military spokesperson:
“There is a specialized committee and open discussions with the brothers to organize this weapon (disarmament) in the way that guarantees legally preserving it in this first place, and this is a sovereign, social, and political demand. And all of society's calls demand that the weapons be under the control of the government and security and military institutions.”
6. Journalist filming news conference
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Sabah al-Numan, military spokesperson:
“We are noticing an acceleration in the withdrawal process of international coalition forces in coordination with the office of the commander-in-chief of the armed forces to facilitate the withdrawal process of these forces from their positions until we reach the specified day, which will really mark an Iraqi celebration and the completion of the Iraqi sovereignty.”
8. News conference
STORYLINE:
An Iraqi security official said international forces led by the U.S. are on track to pull all of forces out of Iraq by the end of September.
It will mark the end of the U.S. presence that started with the 2003 invasion against Saddam Hussein.
Washington and Baghdad agreed in 2024 to wind down the much smaller U.S.-led operations against the Islamic State group.
U.S. troops pulled out of bases in most areas of Iraq last year but maintained a presence in the semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region.
Bases there have regularly come under attack since the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Iran on Feb. 28.
Military spokesperson Sabah al-Numan said that Sept. 30 will mark a new beginning for Iraq on security matters, "maintaining sovereignty and preserving national security."
He also affirmed Sept. 30 as a deadline for non-state armed groups in Iraq to give up their weapons.
The Iraqi government has previously said said these groups will have no justification to carry arms once the foreign troops withdraw.
"Any weapon outside the framework of the state is not allowed," al-Numan said.
Some Iraqi militias have justified their existence by pointing to the U.S. military presence, which they describe as an occupation, although the current U.S. mission came at the invitation of the Iraqi government after IS militants rampaged across the country in 2014, seizing large swaths of territory.
It seems unlikely that the Iraqi government will meet its deadline for disarming non-state groups.
Some of the country’s most powerful Iran-backed militias and have said they have no intention of giving up their weapons.
AP video by Ali Jabar
===========================================================
Find out more about AP Archive: aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: facebook.com/APArchives
Instagram: instagram.com/APNews
You can license this story through AP Archive: aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/a2c14b1942cb4a77b8c3cd9cfba61bdf
