US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said US troops are “ready to remain in Iraq” in his remarks during an unannounced trip to Baghdad on Tuesday, according to the US press pool traveling with him.
In a statement cited by the CNN, Austin said that he is in Iraq to “reaffirm the US-Iraq strategic partnership as we move toward a more secure, stable and sovereign Iraq.”
“Now looking forward, US forces are ready to remain in Iraq at the invitation of the Government of Iraq,” he said.
“And these forces are operating in a non combat, advise assist and enable role to support the Iraqi led fight against terrorism. This is a critical mission. And we’re proud to support our Iraqi partners.”
Austin met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani and is expected to meet other senior Iraqi officials. The meeting with the Iraqi prime minister was not on camera, according to the press pool traveling with the secretary.
After his visit to Baghdad, the Pentagon chief will return to Amman, Jordan, where he started his trip to the Middle East on Sunday.
Austin is the highest-ranking Cabinet official to visit the country since the start of the President Joe Biden’s administration.
In remarks on Saturday, Iraqi PM Al-Sudani stressed that Iraq does not need the combat forces of any country, while it needs their intelligence and training advisories.
In January 2020, the Iraqi Parliament passed a resolution calling on the government to expel foreign troops from the country, in the wake of the US strike which killed senior commanders in the Axis of Resistance General Qassem Suleimani and Abu Mahdi AL-Muhandis near Baghdad Airport.
Source: Agencies
