- The Media Line - https://themedialine.org -

Secretary of Defense Carter Drops-in on Baghdad

US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter paid a surprise visit to Baghdad on Saturday in order meet with military leaders of the assault on Mosul. Upon his arrival, Carter met with Kurdish Peshmerga head Massud Barzani, whose forces claim they have achieved their goals set for the first week of the campaign, a claim confirmed by the US military. Carter reportedly had praise for the coordination between Peshmerga and Iraqi army forces. Despite the early successes, the estimate for the final push to purge Mosul of ISIS fighters was said to be “at least a month away.”