US Defense Secretary James Mattis landed in Baghdad for the first time since joining the Trump administration.
Ahead of the unannounced trip to the Iraqi capital, Mattis told reporters in Abu Dhabi that he was heading to Baghdad, “because I need to get current on the situation there, political situation, the enemy situation, and the friendly situation.”
Mattis said he wanted to speak with the Iraqi political leadership and the US’ partners: “We’re going to make certain we’ve got good shared situational awareness of what we face as we work together, fight alongside each other to destroy ISIS.”
He added, “We’re not in Iraq to seize anybody’s oil.”
Iraq launched a new offensive to regain control of western Mosul from ISIS on Sunday. The operation comes weeks after Iraqi forces recaptured eastern Mosul across the Tigris River.
Since October, a coalition of Iraqi-led forces have pushed to end ISIS’ brutal rule in Iraq’s second-largest city. The US has assisted efforts with airstrikes.