VP Biden Visits Iraq Before US Troops Withdraw
November 29, 2011
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, right, walks with the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq James Jeffrey, center, and General Lloyd Austin, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, 2nd left, after his arrival in Baghdad, Iraq, November 29, 2011.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has made Tuesday a previously unannounced visit to Iraq. The vice president has been meeting with Iraqi leaders, about a month before a deadline for U.S. forces to withdraw from the country
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With the U.S. military mission in Iraq winding down, Vice President Biden went to Baghdad. The visit was designed to help shape the future of the relationship between the two countries.
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said the vice president's stop in the Iraqi capital shows that President Barack Obama is keeping the promise he made in 2008 to end the Iraq war.
"We are withdrawing the remaining U.S. forces from Iraq, and we are ending that war responsibly and giving the Iraqi people the chance for a better future that they deserve, and also maintaining an important strategic relationship with Iraq," said Biden.
A White House statement says the vice president made the visit to meet with Iraq's leaders and participate in an event recognizing the sacrifices and accomplishments of U.S. and Iraqi troops.
In the meetings with Iraqi leaders, the vice president was expected to focus largely on the future of Washington's military relationship with Iraq. The location of Iraq, between Iran and Syria, makes it an especially strategic U.S. ally.
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