“Citizen and Resistant”.. Muqtada al-Sadr sends a message to America after the end of its forces’ presence in Iraq

The leader of the Iraqi Shiite movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, sent a message to the United States, in which he said that the Iraqis resisted the United States, and that they would resist “everyone who occupies our country,” after the end of the period of the presence of American forces and international coalition forces in Iraq. Muqtada al-Sadr said in a statement published on his official account on the “X” platform, previously Twitter, on Wednesday: “I, the Iraqi citizen Muqtada al-Sadr, address this message to (America) as a message of a resistance to you, when you imposed your occupation on my country, and a message of a citizen when you left my country.

Yes, we resisted you just as we will resist anyone who occupies our country.” The leader of the Iraqi Shiite movement added: “We are not hostile to anyone.

But the independence of the country is above all considerations. We faced you while shielding ourselves with the love of the homeland, and we were not tainted by the love of the world and spoils. We were not terrorist opponents, and you were not ISIS opponents,” according to his description. Muqtada al-Sadr added in his message to the United States, “If you want to turn a page, let it be just and fair, and without arrogance and arrogance.”

He added: “If you claim that you have liberated Iraq from the criminal and his cronies, then you should not deal with us according to his approach, otherwise the Iraqi people may believe him: that he replaced the mouse with a cat.” He added: "We refuse to make Iraq an arena for your political and economic conflicts.

We are not obligated to defend anyone or fight on behalf of anyone.” Al-Sadr stressed that “the Iraqis want to build a homeland with freedom and independence away from all external interference, whether Eastern or Western.”

Al-Sadr called on America to beautify its image in the eyes of the “oppressed” by adopting a stance of moderation with everyone, indicating that Iraq will not be subordinate to America or other countries, and “it will not accept superior dealings, but rather diplomatic and just justice, so that the American flag will not be trampled, and Washington will not trample on the dignity and independence of the Iraqis.” Muqtada Al-Sadr went on to say that “the superpower should be a guardian of peace, not a fomenter of strife and wars...”, he said.

On September 30, 2026, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi announced the official end of the mission of the international coalition forces and American forces to fight ISIS in Iraq. Al-Zaidi said, at an official ceremony in the capital, Baghdad: “We announce the end of the mission of the international coalition to fight ISIS, to prove that cooperation between friendly forces and friendly peoples has resulted in a victory over one of the darkest pages of extremism and brutality in history.”

Al-Zaidi added: "Iraq is today reaping the fruits of great sacrifices and heroic efforts that extended for years, until our various types of security services extended their control over the security and field scene throughout Iraq."