MESOP : THE ASHTON CARTER AGENDA IN BAGHDAD

U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter is in Iraq today to discuss ongoing operations against the Islamic State as Iraqi forces with coalition support continue to isolate the Islamic State-occupied city of Mosul. He will meet with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Defense Minister Khaled al-Obaidi to discuss additional capabilities the United States is willing to bring to the fight. “We are looking to do more,” Carter told reporters at an airbase near Abu Dhabi before departing to Iraq. “That ranges from in the air to on the ground. You should expect to see us doing more.”

Carter’s visit coincides with an ongoing political crisis. Hundreds of protesters rallied in Baghdad over the weekend in support of a proposed slate of non-partisan cabinet officials proposed by Abadi that the parliament has refused to confirm. The new government has the support of influential cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who has called for pro-reform protests and says he will mobilize much larger protests if the parliament fails to approve the cabinet by tomorrow. www.mesop.de