Top US general in Iraq to assess campaign

Source: AP-EXCITE

By HAMZA HENDAWI and LOLITA BALDOR

BAGHDAD (AP) — America's top military leader arrived in Iraq on Saturday on a previously unannounced visit, his first since a U.S.-led coalition began launching airstrikes against the extremist Islamic State group.

The visit by Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, came just two days after he told Congress that the United States would consider dispatching a modest number of American forces to fight with Iraqi troops against the extremist group.

The Iraqi military and security forces, trained by the U.S. at the cost of billions of dollars, melted away in the face of the group's stunning offensive this summer, when it captured most of northern and western Iraq, including the country's second-largest city Mosul.

Dempsey said Thursday that Iraqi forces were doing a better job now, although an effort to move into Mosul or to restore the border with Syria would require more complex operations.

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Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey listens on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2014, while testifying before the House Armed Services committee hearing on the Islamic State group. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)


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