The most important aspect of the campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is an inclusive and responsive Iraqi government, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told U.S. service members during his visit to Baghdad.
Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey also said the anti-ISIL campaign could take several years to accomplish.
In an unannounced trip to Iraq, the general today visited with U.S. troops in Baghdad and Irbil and spoke to Iraqi and Kurdish leaders facing off against ISIL.
During a town hall-type meeting at Baghdad International Airport, Dempsey assured troops that the current mission in Iraq is a different one than Operation Iraqi Freedom.
"This time we want to have a partner in the government of Iraq that actually takes ownership of the security threats that face their nation," he said. "We want to enable them, so that as this thing evolves … ISIL is rejected by the Iraqi population." Story
Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrived in Baghdad, Iraq's capital city, in an unannounced visit for talks with U.S. and Iraqi officials on the way ahead in the campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, according to the Voice of America and other news reports. Story
