BAGHDAD: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has made a surprise trip to Baghdad on Sunday after a visit to the occupied West Bank earlier, Arab media reported.
Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohamed Shia Al-Sudani met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the PM’s office said, with the two likely to discuss the current escalation in the middle east.
Since the start of the war in Gaza, a series of rocket and drone strikes have targeted army bases hosting American troops in Iraq. “I made very clear that threats or attacks coming from militias in the region and are completely unacceptable,” the US top diplomat said on Sunday. “We will take every essential measure to secure our people,” he said during a meeting with Prime Minister Sudani.
Blinken on Surprise Trip to Iraq
According to Pentagon about 17 attacks were carried out in Iraq and 12 in Syria from October 17 to November 3. About 2,500 US troops are deployed in Iraq, tasked with giving advise to their Iraqi counterparts in the fight against the Daesh militant group in the region.
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Iraq’s Prime Minister Sudani denounced the strikes and stated that probes were under way to determine the attackers. He has repeatedly called for a truce in Gaza and has termed Israel’s military operation as a “genocide” against Palestinians.
Iraq does not recognize Israel and having no diplomatic ties with it. Earlier, Blinken visited Israel, Jordan, and also traveled to the occupied West Bank to meet Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas.
