Region | Iraq
Obama arrives in Baghdad to meet with US troops
Barack Obama has begun his first on-the-ground inspection of Iraq since launching his bid for the White House - with US commanders ready to brief him on progress in a war he long opposed and Iraqi leaders wanting more details of his proposals for troop withdrawals.
- Agencies
- Published: 09:30 July 21, 2008
- In this photo released by the Iraqi Government, U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama, left, shakes hands with the Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad.
- Image Credit: AP
Baghdad: Barack Obama has begun his first on-the-ground inspection of Iraq since launching his bid for the White House - with US commanders ready to brief him on progress in a war he long opposed and Iraqi leaders wanting more details of his proposals for troop withdrawals.
His stop in Baghdad is the second major leg of a war zone tour that opened in Afghanistan. The contrasts in tone and message were distinct.
Obama sees the battle against the resurgent Taliban and Al Qaida in Afghanistan as America's most crucial fight and supports expanding troop strength to counter a sharp rise in attacks.
But Obama had stood against the Iraq invasion and now worries that an open-ended US combat mission will sap military resources and focus - at a time when Iraq violence has dropped to its lowest level in four years.
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