Acting Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan makes an unannounced visit to the Iraqi capital for talks on the sensitive issue of a continued US troop presence after Washington withdraws from neighboring Syria.
Shanahan is keen to reassure Iraqi leaders after President Donald Trump angered many by saying he wanted to maintain some troops at the Al-Asad airbase, northwest of Baghdad, to keep an eye on Iran.
The acting defense secretary, who flew in from Afghanistan on his foreign tour since taking office last month, is due to hold talks with Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi and top military advisers, as well as Lieutenant General Paul LaCamera, the commander of anti-IS coalition forces.
“Our main partnership and military activity in Iraq is the de-ISIS (IS) mission,” a senior Pentagon official told journalists traveling with Shanahan, keeping the focus on the fight against Islamic State jihadists.
— AFP
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