U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter arrived in Baghdad on Sunday for talks with Iraqi leaders on the U.S.-backed military campaign against Daesh militants in Mosul, the Pentagon said, Reuters reported.
Carter said last week the battle for Mosul, while hard, could be complete before President-elect Donald Trump takes office next month. That, however would require a significant acceleration in the Iraqi army's progress.
The Pentagon said Carter would meet Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, the president of the Kurdish region Massoud Barzani and the commander of the U.S.-led coalition supporting Iraqi forces, U.S. Lieutenant-General Steve Townsend.
He will "thank U.S., coalition, and Iraqi troops engaged in the counter-Daesh campaign, survey key locations directly supporting the battle for Mosul, and discuss the next steps in the fight" against Daesh, it said in a statement.
