Iraq PM meets an unexpected visitor from US amid push to stabilise post-Assad Syria

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unannounced stop in Iraq on Friday on his latest visit to the Middle East. The top US official’s visit was aimed at stabilising the situation in Syria to prevent further regional turmoil, after Bashar al-Assad’s ouster.

Blinken met Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani in Baghdad as part of the hastily arranged trip. Reportedly, this trip marks his 12th visit to the region since the Israel-Hamas war erupted last year but his first since the weekend ouster of Syrian dictator Assad.

“No one knows the importance of that more than Iraq, because of the ongoing presence of ISIS or Daesh in Syria, and we are determined to make sure that Daesh cannot reemerge,” Blinken said, referring to the Islamic State group.

Blinken has already visited Jordan and Turkey on his current tour and will return to Jordan on Saturday for urgent meetings with Arab foreign ministers. He intends to unify support for a post-Assad transition in Syria that restrain the Islamic State from exploiting the political vacuum and secure suspected chemical weapons stocks.

US-Iraq strategic ties

In Baghdad, Blinken “will underscore US commitment to the US-Iraq strategic partnership and to Iraq’s security, stability, and sovereignty,” the State Department said.

“He will also discuss regional security opportunities and challenges, as well as enduring US support for engagement with all communities in Syria to establish an inclusive transition,” the statement added.

His trip comes as the Biden administration winds down with just over a month left before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Trump has been highly critical of Biden’s approach to the Middle East and sceptical of the US military presence in both Iraq and Syria.

The US and Iraq agreed in September to wrap up US-led military operations against the Islamic State in Iraq next year, although Assad’s ouster and the potential for the group taking advantage of a political vacuum in Syria could complicate the timing of the withdrawal, according to American officials.