US defence chief Carter makes surprise visit to Baghdad
The attack on the base where the troops are stationed was part of a broader offensive Islamic State is waging against Kurdish positions north of the city of Mosul, Kurdish military sources told Reuters.
Iraqi Kurdish official Hemin Hawrami said on Twitter that Peshmerga forces had repelled multiple attacks on December 16 by the militants, who deployed nine vehicle bombs and eight suicide attacks.
“Everything we do…here is subject to the approval of the sovereign Iraqi government”, Carter said.
US Defence Secretary Ash Carter made the pledge as Iraqi forces continue to battle jihadi barbarians whose chokehold on the city is slowly loosening.
A total of 10 people were wounded in the attack, including the Turkish soldiers, said the spokesman for the camp, Makhmoud Surchi.
The jets flew training missions with Turkey’s air force and Davis noted that Turkey and the United States also reached an agreement during the deployment outlining procedures for carrying out combat air patrols in the future. He said assistance would be provided on a case-by-case basis and that there was “no limit” on where it would be sent.
U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on Wednesday held talks with Iraqi leaders over fighting the Islamic State (IS) militant group, and means to boost military support for Iraqi forces.
Turkey has welcomed the formation in Saudi Arabia of a 34-nation military coalition to fight terrorism.
Those concerns could affect whether or not Iraqi leaders agree to allow the U.S.to send Apache attack helicopters and more troops into the fight.
“I think we are on the verge of breaking the back of Daesh, I hope”, he told Carter at a Saddam Hussein-era palace where they met, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State.
Vice President Joe Biden is calling on Turkey to withdraw any military forces that Iraq’s government hasn’t authorized.
Washington welcomed the withdrawal as “an important step to de-escalate recent tensions”.
In a bid to placate Baghdad, an unspecified contingent of the Turkish troops this week pulled out of the camp and headed northwards.
Speaking to reporters after meetings with Iraq Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and others, Carter said that as military conditions change, the U.S.is prepared to increase its contributions to the fight.
IS attacked the camp on Wednesday, killing 3 Iraqi Sunni fighters. A key U.S. priority is for Turkey to finally close a stretch of its border with Syria that ISIL controls on the Syrian side, denying the extremist group a crucial corridor for funneling foreign fighters into Syria.