Biden Visits Iraq for Talks with Officials, Show of Support

 

Reuters, 28/04 15:51 CET

By Roberta Rampton

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – U.S. Vice President Joe Biden made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Thursday, in a sign of support for the Iraqi government as it builds on wins in its fight against Islamic State militants amid the distractions of a political crisis.

It is the first time that Biden, the point person for the White House on Iraq, has visited the country since the United States withdrew its forces in 2011. He is the third and highest-level U.S. official to visit Iraq this month.

Islamic State militants, also known as ISIL, have seized large portions of Iraq and Syria since 2014. Iraqi forces have won back some of the territory, such as the provincial capital of Ramadi, but often after long battles that have left the cities destroyed.

“He’s been itching to get back for a while. We have been looking for an opportunity,” a senior administration official told reporters travelling with Biden to Iraq.

Biden’s trip, a couple of months in the planning, is a sign of the progress the White House believes Iraqi forces have made in beating back the militant group over the past year. 

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Source: Euronews