BAGHDAD: US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in Iraq on Tuesday (Mar 7) on an unannounced visit barely two weeks before the 20th anniversary of the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. 'I'm here to reaffirm the US-Iraq strategic partnership as we move toward a more secure, stable and sovereig
BAGHDAD: US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in Iraq on Tuesday on an unannounced visit barely two weeks before the 20th anniversary of the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
In the run-up, Iraq has hosted a raft of foreign officials, including UN chief Antonio Guterres and the Iranian, Russian and Saudi foreign ministers. Both Washington and Tehran provided extensive support during Iraq's fightback against the Sunni extremists of the Islamic State group, who overran swathes of northern and western Iraq in 2014.
Austin's visit comes after he held talks in neighbouring Jordan with King Abdullah II, a staunch US ally in the region. October 2021 elections were followed by a whole year of political vacuum before Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani was sworn in at the head of a government led by pro-Iran factions.
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