US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin Arrived in Baghdad on Tuesday Surprise visit as part of the Middle East tourThe top position of the Joe Biden administration, who visited the country in the month that coincided with the 20th anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq.
I am here to reaffirm the strategic partnership between the United States and Iraq in our journey towards a safer, stable and sovereign Iraq.” The Pentagon chief said on his official Twitter account.
Until now details of this trip are unknownLess than two weeks remain until the 20th anniversary of the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, which overthrew the former dictator Saddam Hussein’s regime.
But Austin is likely to meet with the Iraqi prime minister. Mohamed Shia al Sudani, who recently supported the “indefinite” presence of US troops in Iraq in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, after the country’s Parliament called for foreign troops to leave the country over the past three years.
murder powerful Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani A targeted U.S. bombing in Baghdad in January 2020 led to the end of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq and the withdrawal of a large contingent, but the Americans retain about 2,000 troops dedicated solely to advisory and training missions.
Yesterday’s trip to Austin, whose first stop was Jordan, Focuses on addressing the escalation of violence between Israel and Palestine, as well as threats associated with Iran in the region.
Austin is expected to travel to Israel and Egypt on this tourbut the US department did not report the dates.