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04-29-2016, 04:44 PM
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Biden visits Iraq for talks
BAGHDAD: US Vice President Joe Biden met Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in an unan**unced visit to Baghdad on Thursday to show support for the government as it builds on wins against Islamic State amid the distractions of a political crisis.
It is the first visit for Biden, the White House’s point person on Iraq, since US forces withdrew in 2011 following a nine-year occupation. He is the third and highest-level US official to visit Iraq this month. Islamic State, also k**wn as ISIL, seized large portions of Iraq and neighbouring Syria in 2014. Iraqi forces have won back some territory, such as the western city of Ramadi, but often after long battles that have left the areas destroyed. Biden’s trip, several months in planning, is a sign of the progress the White House believes Iraqi forces have made in beating back the militants over the past year. The vice president has close relationships with Iraqi leaders and speaks with them about every 10 days, a senior administration official said. Still, “there’s ** substitute for being able to sit down face-to-face,” a US official said. Biden’s first meeting was with Abadi to discuss “developments in the political, security and eco**mic situations,” state television said. The White House has **t released details of his schedule in Iraq for security reasons. The trip serves to counter a “misperception in the region” that Iran has undue influence in the nation, a senior administration official said. But it comes at a turbulent time in Iraqi politics. Abadi has faced resistance to a government overhaul aimed at tackling corruption. He won lawmakers’ approval to replace a handful of ministers on Tuesday after weeks of delays and disruptions from dissenting MPs. The political battle has also sparked populist protests that have forced the government to bring back troops from the front lines to secure the capital. أكثر... 
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العرض الشجري