The holiday is scheduled from Wednesday to Saturday as the government marks the reported withdrawal of US forces.
The Iraqi government has declared a Wednesday-to-Saturday public holiday for Sovereignty Days, with official ceremonies and commemorations. The supplied report links the observance to the withdrawal of US forces, while noting that media reports quoted an Iraqi military official as saying the withdrawal would be completed on 30 September.
- Section
- Arab World & Middle East
- Format
- ANALYSIS
- Published
- Sep 28, 2026, 05:13 PM
Verified facts: The supplied report says the Iraqi government declared a public holiday from Wednesday through Saturday for Iraq’s Sovereignty Days. It links the holiday to the withdrawal of US forces and says Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi instructed ministries, government bodies and provincial authorities to coordinate events with the Government Media Cell. Planned activities include ceremonies commemorating Iraq’s martyrs and victims, along with badges displaying a map of Iraq or the colours of the Iraqi flag. The report attributes details about the ceremonies to the Iraqi News Agency. It also says media reports quoted Abdul Amir al-Shammari, head of the office of the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, as saying that US forces would complete their withdrawal on 30 September, while Victoria Base was already free of US forces and would be converted into a centre for receiving diplomatic missions.
Interpretation: The holiday appears intended to serve both as a public commemoration of Iraqi sovereignty and as an official marker of the end of the US military presence described in the report.
Uncertainty: The supplied evidence does not specify the calendar dates corresponding to Wednesday through Saturday. It also presents the withdrawal as both the basis for the holiday and, through the quoted statement, an event expected to be completed on 30 September. The report does not independently establish the timing beyond those statements.