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| In Baghdad, Hagel underscores U.S. role in Iraq’s fight against Islamic State | In Baghdad, Hagel underscores U.S. role in Iraq’s fight against Islamic State |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| BAGHDAD — Despite a sharp increase in U.S. military support for Iraq’s fight against Islamic State militants, additional help is needed to defeat the well-armed group, Iraq’s prime minister told U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Tuesday. | BAGHDAD — Despite a sharp increase in U.S. military support for Iraq’s fight against Islamic State militants, additional help is needed to defeat the well-armed group, Iraq’s prime minister told U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Tuesday. |
| Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi claimed the Islamist group was “on the descent,” weakened by U.S.-led air strikes and Iraqi forces’ efforts to loosen the Islamic State’s grip on the vast areas of Iraq they seized this summer. | Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi claimed the Islamist group was “on the descent,” weakened by U.S.-led air strikes and Iraqi forces’ efforts to loosen the Islamic State’s grip on the vast areas of Iraq they seized this summer. |
| “We are very thankful for the support that’s been given to us,” Abadi said in Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone as he opened talks with Hagel during his one-day visit. “Our forces are very much advancing on the ground. But they need more air power and more . . . heavy weaponry. We need that.” | “We are very thankful for the support that’s been given to us,” Abadi said in Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone as he opened talks with Hagel during his one-day visit. “Our forces are very much advancing on the ground. But they need more air power and more . . . heavy weaponry. We need that.” |
| Hagel’s visit to Iraq came just hours before the release of a Senate Intelligence Committee report on “enhanced interrogation” techniques of detainees in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. | |
| Hagel said he ordered commanders to be “on high alert everywhere in the world.” | Hagel said he ordered commanders to be “on high alert everywhere in the world.” |
| “We don’t have any specific information or intelligence to show that there is anything out there that would lead us to do anything beyond high alert right now,” he told reporters. “But, yes, we were concerned about the content of that report being declassified.” | “We don’t have any specific information or intelligence to show that there is anything out there that would lead us to do anything beyond high alert right now,” he told reporters. “But, yes, we were concerned about the content of that report being declassified.” |
| The United States has significantly increased military assistance to Iraq since this summer, when the Islamic State’s surge out of Syria and across northern Iraq laid bare the weaknesses of Iraq’s own defenses. | The United States has significantly increased military assistance to Iraq since this summer, when the Islamic State’s surge out of Syria and across northern Iraq laid bare the weaknesses of Iraq’s own defenses. |
| Hagel’s visit also signals the central role Iraq once again plays in American foreign policy. There are currently about 1,650 U.S. troops in Iraq, and the number is expected to grow. | Hagel’s visit also signals the central role Iraq once again plays in American foreign policy. There are currently about 1,650 U.S. troops in Iraq, and the number is expected to grow. |
| Hagel, speaking to U.S. service members at Baghdad’s airport, cautioned that this remains Iraq’s fight. President Obama, who ended America’s last war in Iraq when he withdrew troops in 2011, has vowed that U.S. service members will not return to ground combat in Iraq. | Hagel, speaking to U.S. service members at Baghdad’s airport, cautioned that this remains Iraq’s fight. President Obama, who ended America’s last war in Iraq when he withdrew troops in 2011, has vowed that U.S. service members will not return to ground combat in Iraq. |
| “We can help, we can train, we can assist, we can advise. And we’re doing that,” he said. “But the inclusiveness of the government, that all their people can join . . . and trust in is going to be essential to their future.” | “We can help, we can train, we can assist, we can advise. And we’re doing that,” he said. “But the inclusiveness of the government, that all their people can join . . . and trust in is going to be essential to their future.” |
| U.S. officials are hoping that Iraq’s military, seeking to recover from the collapse of four army divisions this summer, will eventually be able to push Islamic State fighters from important urban center such as Mosul, Iraq’s largest northern city. | U.S. officials are hoping that Iraq’s military, seeking to recover from the collapse of four army divisions this summer, will eventually be able to push Islamic State fighters from important urban center such as Mosul, Iraq’s largest northern city. |
| Hagel said he was ‘encouraged’ by Iraqi gains, including dislodging militants from areas such as the Mosul dam or around the Baiji oil refinery, about 130 miles north of Baghdad. | |
| But the Islamic State remains a powerful force — both within Sunni Arab areas of Iraq and in neighboring Syria. More than three years of fighting between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and opposition forces have provided openings and resources to boost the Islamic State’s strength. | But the Islamic State remains a powerful force — both within Sunni Arab areas of Iraq and in neighboring Syria. More than three years of fighting between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and opposition forces have provided openings and resources to boost the Islamic State’s strength. |
| Hagel’s visit to Iraq is his first and last as defense secretary. | Hagel’s visit to Iraq is his first and last as defense secretary. |
| The former Nebraska senator, who became the first U.S. defense secretary to have served as an enlisted soldier, is leaving his post as the White House refocuses military policy around renewed operations in the Middle East. | The former Nebraska senator, who became the first U.S. defense secretary to have served as an enlisted soldier, is leaving his post as the White House refocuses military policy around renewed operations in the Middle East. |
| Obama has nominated Ashton Carter, a former senior Pentagon official, to succeed Hagel, but Carter still must clear Senate confirmation. | Obama has nominated Ashton Carter, a former senior Pentagon official, to succeed Hagel, but Carter still must clear Senate confirmation. |
| Hagel, a Republican, was a critic of former President’s George W. Bush’s management of the last U.S. war in Iraq, breaking with others in his party to oppose Bush’s troop surge that began in 2007. | Hagel, a Republican, was a critic of former President’s George W. Bush’s management of the last U.S. war in Iraq, breaking with others in his party to oppose Bush’s troop surge that began in 2007. |
| Now, Hagel is overseeing a much smaller buildup of American troops there, this time to counter the extremist group that is attempting to extend its realm across the Middle East. | Now, Hagel is overseeing a much smaller buildup of American troops there, this time to counter the extremist group that is attempting to extend its realm across the Middle East. |
| The U.S.-led campaign against the Islamic State has already garnered support from U.S. allies in the West and the Middle East. The general overseeing U.S. operations against the group said this week that U.S. partners are expected to provide up to 1,500 soldiers for the effort to retrain and advise Iraqi forces. | The U.S.-led campaign against the Islamic State has already garnered support from U.S. allies in the West and the Middle East. The general overseeing U.S. operations against the group said this week that U.S. partners are expected to provide up to 1,500 soldiers for the effort to retrain and advise Iraqi forces. |
| The U.S. force in Iraq, meanwhile, may grow to around 3,000 as the Pentagon expands its efforts to retrain Iraq’s military, which U.S. troops built from scratch after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. | The U.S. force in Iraq, meanwhile, may grow to around 3,000 as the Pentagon expands its efforts to retrain Iraq’s military, which U.S. troops built from scratch after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. |
| As part of the U.S. strategy against the Islamic State, the Pentagon is also preparing to launch a new program to train and arm moderate Syrian rebels. That training is set to begin next year in four Middle Eastern countries. | As part of the U.S. strategy against the Islamic State, the Pentagon is also preparing to launch a new program to train and arm moderate Syrian rebels. That training is set to begin next year in four Middle Eastern countries. |