{"id":43170,"date":"2016-12-11T15:03:34","date_gmt":"2016-12-11T15:03:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2016\/12\/11\/u-s-defense-secretary-arrives-in-iraq-to-assess-mosul-fight\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T07:54:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T07:54:49","slug":"u-s-defense-secretary-arrives-in-iraq-to-assess-mosul-fight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2016\/12\/11\/u-s-defense-secretary-arrives-in-iraq-to-assess-mosul-fight\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. defense secretary arrives in Iraq to assess Mosul fight"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Pentagon said U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter arrived in Baghdad on Sunday for talks with Iraqi leaders on the U.S.-backed military campaign against Islamic State militants in Mosul . It said Carter would meet Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, the president of the Kurdish region Massoud Barzani, and the commander of the U.S.-led coalition supporting Iraqi forces, U.S. Lt. Gen. Steve Townsend. Carter said last week the battle for Mosul, while hard, could be complete before President-elect Donald Trump takes office next month. That, however would require a significant acceleration in the Iraqi army’s progress.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n

QAYARA AIR BASE, Iraq \u2014 Iraqi and U.S.-led coalition forces have killed or gravely wounded more than 2,000 Islamic State fighters in the battle for Mosul since October, the top U.S. commander in Iraq said Sunday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend told reporters there are still an estimated 3,000-5,000 ISIS fighters still defending Mosul. <\/div>
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter made an unannounced visit Sunday to an Iraqi air base where several hundred U.S. troops are helping Iraqi forces stage for their offensive to retake Mosul from ISIS. <\/div><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Carter and a small entourage flew to Qayara air base from Baghdad after meeting with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and sharing lunch with American troops. It was Carter’s first visit to Qayara since it began operating as an Iraqi staging base in October. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sunday’s visit came as Iraqi security forces have been slowed in their nearly two-month-old offensive against ISIS, which has occupied Mosul for more than two years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Bahrain on Saturday, Carter announced he is sending another 200 troops to Syria to train and advise local fighters combating IS. There are already 300 U.S. troops authorized for the Syria effort, and some 5,000 in Iraq. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

The recapture of Mosul, the country’s second largest city, is crucial to the Iraqis’ hopes of restoring their sovereignty, although political stability will likely remain a challenge afterward. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carter told an international security conference in Bahrain that the battle for Mosul and for the Syrian city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of the extremists’ self-described caliphate, would be crucial for defeating the group, which has claimed attacks worldwide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The seizure of these two cities is necessary to ensure the destruction of ISIL’s parent tumor in Iraq and Syria \u2014 the primary objective of our military campaign \u2014 and put ISIL on an irreversible path to a lasting defeat,” he said, using another acronym for ISIS.

#SecDef<\/a> Carter meeting with US troops at Q-West airbase near Mosul. Here are some highlights @CJTFOIR<\/a> @OIRSpox<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/XgQda8nDSU<\/a> \u2014 Peter Cook (@PentagonPresSec) December 11, 2016<\/a> <\/blockquote>