BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi and Saudi TV channels say U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has arrived in Iraq on an unannounced stop on his Mideast tour.
The U.S. diplomat is touring American allies in the region amid confusion over conflicting statements by President Donald Trump and senior U.S. officials about a planned U.S. troop withdrawal from Syria.
Trump made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Dec. 26, when he said the United States could use its bases in Iraq as a platform for continued operations in Syria. At the time, he did not meet with any Iraqi officials, which infuriated local politicians.
The State Department did not immediately confirm or have any comment about Pompeo’s Iraq visit on Wednesday. Pompeo was in Jordan on Tuesday and is expected in Cairo later Wednesday.
