US Vice President Joe Biden paid a surprise visit to Baghdad yesterday to meet with Iraqi officials and he reached Hewler at night. Biden met with former president of the Kurdistan Region and KDP leader Mesut Barzani shortly after arriving in Hewler.

Obama’s Special Representative in the war against ISIS Brett McGurk, the US Iraqi Consul General Stuart Jones, US Vice President Advisor Kolin Kal, US Iraqi forces commander General Sean McFarland and US Hewler Consul Matthias Mitman attended the meeting alongside Biden.

MOSUL OPERATION DISCUSSED

Continuation of the fight against ISIS was signalled in the meeting between Biden and Barzani and the plans for the Mosul operation and next step after liberating Mosul were discussed.

Biden had met with Iraqi Parliamentary Speaker Selim Cuburi and Iraqi Prime Minister Haydar Ebadi yesterday.

It is significant that the US Vice President’s visit to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region coincides with a decline in the fight against ISIS due to political and economic crisis in the region.