ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The leader of Iraq’s pro-Iran Harakat al-Nujaba militia on Wednesday said the group is ready to wage a “decisive battle” should US forces not completely withdraw from Iraq by the end of September, threatening that any soldier remaining after the deadline will return “as a lifeless corpse.”

In a statement, Akram al-Kaabi expressed the militia’s “readiness, enthusiasm, and a high degree of preparedness to wage the decisive battle against the occupying forces should they renege on their commitment to a complete withdrawal from the land and air,” referring to the US withdrawal agreement with Baghdad.

Under an agreement between Washington and Baghdad, the US-led international coalition is set to complete its withdrawal from all Iraqi territory by September 30.

The withdrawal has long been a key demand of political forces and armed groups across Iraq, particularly those with strong links to Iran, which have repeatedly called for the departure of US forces.

“If a single soldier remains after this date, we will not let him return safely; we will send him back to them as a lifeless corpse,” he added.

The remarks come amid Baghdad’s continued efforts to disarm militias and establish the state’s monopoly over weapons, an initiative that has gained renewed drive under Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who vowed to complete all disarmament by the end of September, coinciding with the expiry of the mandate of the US-led global coalition forces.

Zaidi has previously remarked that with the coalition’s withdrawal, there will be no need for the continued existence of the so-called “resistance” groups.

In August, the group reiterated that they do not plan to hand over their weapons, asserting that the Iraqi government’s campaign serves foreign demands, not Iraqi interests.

The US-led coalition was brought to Iraq in 2014 at Baghdad’s invitation to help repel the Islamic State (ISIS) advance across the country.