U.S. Withdrawal from Iraq Nears as Security Concerns Persist
U.S. forces are set to leave their last bases in Iraq by Wednesday, September 30, Reuters reports in a September 29 dispatch from Baghdad. The withdrawal follows an agreement reached in 2024, but Iraqi analysts and security officials interviewed by the agency disagree about whether the country is ready. Some warn that losing coalition intelligence, logistics and drone support could give ISIS cells opportunities to regroup and strengthen Iran-backed groups. Supporters of the departure welcome it as an assertion of Iraqi sovereignty, while critics interviewed by Reuters fear a security vacuum.
Source: Reuters — Ahmed Rasheed, via Yahoo / AT&T · Published Sep 29, 2026, 2:15 AM EDT
Citing Iraq’s Higher Education Ministry, Shafaq News reports an expansion of reciprocal university admissions between federal Iraq and the Kurdistan Region from 500 to 1,250 places. The total includes 1,000 undergraduate and 250 postgraduate places for the coming academic year.
Shafaq News reports the death at 82 of former Iraq international goalkeeper Jalal Abdulrahman. The Baghdad-born player made his international debut in the 1974 World Cup qualifiers and represented Iraq at the 1976 Asian Cup.
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