US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made an unannounced trip to Baghdad, just days before the 20th anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq which led to the overthrow of Saddam Hussein and the later rise of the Islamic State. Austin arrived in Iraq on Tuesday; he has been on a multiday tour of US partner nations in the Middle East, where he is meeting with civil and military leaders.
“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,” Austin tweeted on Tuesday morning. He was the last commanding general of US forces in Iraq, which left in 2021.
Austin said following a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani that “US forces are ready to remain in Iraq at the invitation of the government of Iraq,” and that the US “will continue to strengthen and broaden our partnership in support of Iraqi security, stability, and sovereignty.”
Austin arrived in Iraq from Jordan, where he met with King Abdullah II. As part of the meeting they discussed “a range of shared concerns, including security in nearby Iraq, the flow of illegal narcotics in the region, Syria, the escalating tensions in the West Bank and Jerusalem, and working toward a lasting peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians,” according to the US Defense Department.