Carter in Iraq to seek new ways to battle Islamic State

BAGHDAD-Defense Secretary Ash Carter arrived on a surprise trip to Iraq on Wednesday to visit US troops and meet with Iraqi officials as the USA and key allies intensify an global fight against Islamic State extremist group.

The President wants Carter to find new ways to hasten the destruction of the Islamic State group.

Turkish and Iraqi officials said Turkish forces and equipment were withdrawn from the camp early on Monday, but the trainers apparently remained, and Ankara has other military sites within northern Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, looks on as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks during their meeting in Moscow Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015. “We shouldn’tshift the direction of Iraq away from the ongoing fighting against Daesh” Mahdi added.

But details of the plan have not been disclosed, and US officials haven’t said when they may deploy to Iraq.

Frustration has grown over the failure to recapture Ramadi despite months of work by Iraqi and USA advisers to encircle the city, taken by IS forces seven months ago.

Mr. Carter met in Baghdad with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and briefly with his counterpart before visiting troops at the Baghdad airport.

He said the US would particularly like to see the Gulf countries do more.

In Iraq, local military commanders have announced some success in their campaign to recapture Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, which was seized by Islamic State fighters in May.

“I think that some of Gulf countries could make very important contributions to encouraging and assisting Sunni communities subjected to ISIL rule to resist ISIL rule – something they can do that’s harder for other countries to do”, he said.

Speaking at the Pentagon over the weekend Carter pledged stronger coalition impact against ISIS in the coming weeks. Called an “expeditionary targeting force”, the special operations troops would be used to increase the pressure on the insurgents.