President Barack Obama on Tuesday capped a weeklong trip abroad with a surprise stop in Baghdad, in a dramatic gesture aimed at underscoring the shift in U.S. Iraq policy.
“There is still a lot of work to do here,” the president said on arrival at Baghdad International Airport, about two hours after taking off in Istanbul.
In just a few hours on the ground in Iraq, Obama met with troops at Camp Victory, got a briefing from Gen. Ray Odierno, the multinational force commander in Iraq, and met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and President Jalal Talabani.
“Michelle and myself are with you every day,” Obama told the troops. “As long as I’m in the White House, you’re going to get the support that you need.”
The president’s Baghdad stop came in the wake of a series of car bombs in the Iraqi capital that killed at least 36 people in six hours and raised concerns about a resurgence of violence after months of relative calm.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters on Air Force One that the decision to visit Iraq and not Afghanistan related to its proximity to Turkey, the need for Obama to consult Iraqi leaders, and a desire to visit U.S. troops serving in the war.
The stop also served to highlight the sharp policy change on Iraq that Obama has used to good effect in restoring relations with other world leaders. It was his first stop in a war zone as president.
“We’ve made significant political progress,” Obama said. “You’ve seen a greater willingness on the part of all the factions in Iraq to resolve their issues politically and through nonviolent means. But with the national elections coming up, many of the unresolved issues may be brought to a head.”
President George W. Bush also made surprise stops in Iraq during his presidency, but primarily to highlight progress in the war and Iraqi elections.
Addressing the troops at Al Faw Palace, Obama called the next 18 months a “critical period” in Iraq.
“I think it’s something that all of you know — it is time for us to transition the Iraqis,” Obama said. “They need to take responsibility for their country and for their sovereignty.”
Obama campaigned on a promise to end the war in Iraq and bring all combat troops home by the middle of next year. He has slowed his original timetable and would now leave a substantial force behind, but Obama still supports the withdrawal of most combat forces by next summer.
The change from the Bush administration policy of indefinite commitment has been well received during his weeklong trip to Europe and Turkey, where the U.S. presence in Iraq remains deeply unpopular.
