BAGHDAD: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unannounced cease in Iraq on Friday on his newest go to to the Center East geared toward stabilising the state of affairs in Syria to stop additional regional turmoil.
Blinken met in Baghdad with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani as a part of the rapidly organized journey, his 12th to the area for the reason that Israel-Hamas warfare erupted final 12 months however his first for the reason that weekend ouster of Syrian strongman Bashar Assad.
Blinken has already been to Jordan and Turkiye on his present tour and can return to Jordan for pressing conferences on Saturday with Arab international ministers to attempt to unify assist for an inclusive post-Assad transition that doesn’t enable the Islamic State group to make the most of the political vacuum in Syria and secures suspected chemical weapons shares.
In Baghdad, Blinken “will underscore US dedication to the US-Iraq strategic partnership and to Iraq’s safety, stability, and sovereignty,” the State Division mentioned.
“He will even talk about regional safety alternatives and challenges, in addition to enduring US assist for engagement with all communities in Syria to ascertain an inclusive transition,” it mentioned in a press release.
His journey comes because the Biden administration winds down with simply over a month left earlier than President-elect Donald Trump takes workplace. Trump has been extremely crucial of Biden’s strategy to the Center East and sceptical of the US army presence in each Iraq and Syria.
The US and Iraq agreed in September to wrap up US-led army operations towards the Islamic State in Iraq subsequent 12 months, though Assad’s ouster and the potential for the group profiting from a political vacuum in Syria may complicate the timing of the withdrawal, in accordance with American officers.
