US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made a surprise visit to Iraq today, with the aim of “confirming the strategic partnership between the two countries” and as the 20th anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq to overthrow Saddam Hussein approaches.

“Landing in Baghdad. I am here to reaffirm the strategic partnership between the US and Iraq as we move toward a more secure, stable, and sovereign Iraq,” Austin tweeted.

Austin, the most senior official in Joe Biden’s administration to visit Iraq, was the last commander of US forces in Iraq after the 2003 invasion.

The 2003 invasion left tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians dead and led to instability that eventually paved the way for the rise of Islamic State militants after the US withdrew their forces in 2011.

The U.S. currently maintains 2,500 troops in Iraq — and an additional 900 in Syria — to help advise and assist local troops in the war against Islamic State militants, who seized large swaths of territory in 2014 in both Countries.

Purpose of the visit

According to a senior US official, the Pentagon chief’s visit to Iraq is aimed at showing that Washington is committed to maintaining its military presence there, nearly 20 years after the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

“What (Iraqis) will hear from him is a commitment to maintain our force presence, but this is not just about the military means. The US is generally interested in a strategic partnership with the Iraqi government,” the senior official said. a US Defense Department official, who asked not to be named.

This trip also aims to support Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Al Sudani against Iranian influence in the country.

Iranian-backed militias in Iraq occasionally target US forces and the US embassy in Baghdad with rockets. The US and Iran came close to a full-scale conflict in 2020 after the top commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Qassem Soleimani, was killed in a drone strike.

“I believe that the Iraqi leaders share our interest in not turning Iraq into an arena of conflict between the US and Iran,” the US Defense Department official added in statements to Reuters.

Austin will meet with Sudani, as well as Iraqi Kurdistan President Nesirwan Barzani, amid a long-running dispute over credit transfers and the sharing of oil revenues between the national and Kurdish governments.