The US Secretary of Defense says American military forces will remain in Iraq.
In Baghdad, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin committed to continuing the presence of American forces in the fight against ISIS.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin made an unannounced trip to Iraq on Tuesday, March 7, where he stated that his country is committed to maintaining its military presence in Iraq and continuing the fight against ISIS.
Austin’s trip to Baghdad on Tuesday took place just before the 20th anniversary of the US military invasion of Iraq in 2003, which resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.
The United States withdrew its forces in 2011, but the Obama administration sent thousands of troops back to Iraq and Syria three years later to bolster the fight against ISIS.