U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, making an unannounced trip to Iraq on March 7 nearly 20 years after the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
Austin said Washington was committed to keeping its military presence in the country.
The US currently has 2,500 troops in Iraq, and an additional 900 in Syria, to help advise and assist local troops in combating Islamic State, who in 2014 seized swathes of territory in both countries.
The 2003 invasion led to the deaths of tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians and created instability that eventually paved the way for the rise of Islamic State militants after the U.S. withdrew its forces in 2011.
The trip is also about supporting Sudani’s push back against Iranian influence in the country.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, making an unannounced trip to Iraq on March 7 nearly 20 years after the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
Austin said Washington was committed to keeping its military presence in the country. pic.twitter.com/2viPs2bLz3
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