The US-led international coalition against ISIS has fully withdrawn from Iraq after 12 years, prompting widespread nationwide celebrations. To mark the milestone, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Zaidi declared a four-day national holiday officially named “Sovereignty Day.” Citizens welcomed the departure, with resident Ali Amin Hussein calling it a “historic turning point” that finally ends over two decades of American military presence. However, Iraqis are also demanding genuine internal stability moving forward, as Hussein stressed, “We don’t want drones, we don’t want weapons outside of state control. We want security.”
Abdulkadir Hacıoğlu