US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel (L) greets US troops during his visit to Camp Buehring in the northwest of Kuwait, roughly 65 miles from the Iraqi border, on December 8, 2014.[/caption]The outgoing US secretary of defense has arrived in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad on a surprise visit amid increasing efforts against the ISIL Takfiri terrorists operating in Iraq and Syria.
Chuck Hagel, who is on his first trip to Iraq as Pentagon chief, is scheduled to hold talks with his Iraqi counterpart as well as Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the visit, Hagel said the Iraqi army and Kurdish forces have gained a new momentum in the fight against the ISIL.
"This is a long term effort. It's difficult. There will be setbacks. There will be victories. So I think that's where we are and I look forward to getting some first-hand assessments," he said.
Hagel went on to say that ISIL terrorists pose an alarming threat to Iraq and other countries in the Middle East.
The visit came as the US has announced that it decided to double the number of its ground forces in Iraq to 3,100 in the face of what Washington describes as the threats of the ISIL against its interests in the Arab country.
Since late September, the US and its allies have been conducting airstrikes against ISIL positions inside Syria as well, without any authorization from Damascus or a UN mandate.
Political experts believe that the real objective of the coalition is to expand the US military presence in the region.
The ISIL launched an offensive in Iraq in June and took control of the countrys second largest city, Mosul, before sweeping through parts of the countrys Sunni Arab heartland. The Takfiri militants have also seized swathes of land in Syria.
By Press TV
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