U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said U.S. troops are “ready to remain in Iraq” in his remarks during an unannounced trip to Baghdad on March 7, according to the U.S. press pool traveling with him.
Austin said in a statement that he is in Iraq to “reaffirm the U.S.-Iraq strategic partnership as we move toward a more secure, stable and sovereign Iraq.”
The Pentagon chief met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and is expected to meet other senior officials while he is in the country.
Austin's is set to then head to Egypt, and conclude the trip in Israel.
