Pentagon Chief Confirms Surprise Trip To Iraq

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 07th March, 2023) US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin confirmed on Tuesday that he went to Iraq to reassure the country of Washington's commitment to their strategic partnership.

"Wheels down in Baghdad. I'm here to reaffirm the U.S.-Iraq strategic partnership as we move toward a more secure, stable, and sovereign Iraq," the Pentagon chief said on social media.

US media cited Austin's press pool as saying earlier in the day that the defense secretary was in Baghdad for an unannounced visit and a meeting with the Iraqi prime minister.

He is the highest-ranking cabinet official in the Biden administration to visit Iraq.

Austin told a presser, aired by Iraqi broadcasters, that the United States remained committed to the security and stability of Iraq and the entire region and would continue coordinating efforts to defeat the Islamic State insurgency (banned in Russia) together with its partners.

Austin will reportedly return to the Jordanian capital of Amman where he arrived on Sunday for an official visit. His middle Eastern tour will also include Egypt and Israel.