Iraq Announces Four-Day Holiday for Sovereignty Day

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Iraq has declared a four-day official holiday from Wednesday, Sept. 30, through Saturday, Oct. 3, to mark what the government is calling the Republic of Iraq's "Sovereignty Day."

The media office of the Iraqi prime minister said official working hours at state institutions would be suspended throughout the period, with government offices covered by the decision set to resume work after the holiday. The decision was also announced by provincial authorities on Saturday.

The holiday comes as Iraq prepares to mark the scheduled completion of the final phase of the transition away from the U.S.-led international coalition's military mission.

The Iraqi government expects Sept. 30 to coincide with the handover of remaining coalition military bases and facilities to Iraqi forces and the announcement of the end of the foreign forces' mission under the existing coalition framework.

Prime Minister Ali Zaidi had previously instructed ministries, independent state bodies and provincial authorities to coordinate with the government media cell and take steps to mark the occasion.

The Iraqi Justice Ministry has also formally listed Sept. 30, 2026, as the country's National Sovereignty Day.

The occasion is tied to the security transition agreed between Baghdad and Washington in September 2024.

Under the joint U.S.-Iraq framework announced on Sept. 27, 2024, the military mission of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in Iraq was to conclude no later than the end of September 2025, with security cooperation shifting toward bilateral partnerships.

A second phase allowed coalition support for counter-ISIS operations in Syria to continue from an Iraqi platform through September 2026, subject to conditions on the ground and consultation among Iraq, the United States and other coalition members.

The coalition was established in 2014 after ISIS seized large areas of Iraq and Syria. Its role later shifted from direct combat operations toward training, advisory support and intelligence cooperation with Iraqi security forces.

Baghdad has maintained that Iraqi forces are now capable of taking responsibility for the country's security and continuing operations against remaining ISIS cells.

The end of the coalition framework does not necessarily mean the end of security cooperation between Iraq and the United States. The 2024 agreement specifically envisaged a transition toward bilateral security partnerships after the coalition mission, with both governments describing the change as an evolution of their security relationship rather than a complete end to cooperation.

The four-day holiday will therefore mark both a national commemoration and the scheduled conclusion of a security transition that began two years earlier.