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| Biden Makes Surprise Visit to Iraq, Seeking to Bolster Fight Against ISIS | Biden Makes Surprise Visit to Iraq, Seeking to Bolster Fight Against ISIS |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| BAGHDAD — In an unannounced visit shrouded in secrecy, Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. came to Iraq on Thursday for the first time in almost five years, hoping to help a weak prime minister and bolster the military campaign against the Islamic State. | BAGHDAD — In an unannounced visit shrouded in secrecy, Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. came to Iraq on Thursday for the first time in almost five years, hoping to help a weak prime minister and bolster the military campaign against the Islamic State. |
| The intense security and clandestine nature of the trip reflected the challenges Iraq still faces 13 years after the United States-led invasion. Mr. Biden arrived for the visit, which was under discussion for months, at a moment when the country’s political leadership is mired in yet another crisis. | The intense security and clandestine nature of the trip reflected the challenges Iraq still faces 13 years after the United States-led invasion. Mr. Biden arrived for the visit, which was under discussion for months, at a moment when the country’s political leadership is mired in yet another crisis. |
| Mr. Biden planned to urge the Iraqis to put the good of their nation above sectarian, regional or personal interests as the country confronts a constellation of threats: militarily, from the extremists of the Islamic State; economically, from low oil prices; and politically, from the stalemate between Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Parliament over Mr. Abadi’s efforts to reconstitute his cabinet. | Mr. Biden planned to urge the Iraqis to put the good of their nation above sectarian, regional or personal interests as the country confronts a constellation of threats: militarily, from the extremists of the Islamic State; economically, from low oil prices; and politically, from the stalemate between Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Parliament over Mr. Abadi’s efforts to reconstitute his cabinet. |
| After arriving at the American embassy by helicopter, Mr. Biden was driven to the nearby Government Palace to meet Mr. Abadi. | After arriving at the American embassy by helicopter, Mr. Biden was driven to the nearby Government Palace to meet Mr. Abadi. |
| Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter and Secretary of State John Kerry have also made unannounced visits to Iraq this month. And in Saudi Arabia last week, President Obama said American officials had been telling their Iraqi counterparts that “they have to take the long view and think about the well-being of the country at a time when they’re still fighting” the Islamic State. | Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter and Secretary of State John Kerry have also made unannounced visits to Iraq this month. And in Saudi Arabia last week, President Obama said American officials had been telling their Iraqi counterparts that “they have to take the long view and think about the well-being of the country at a time when they’re still fighting” the Islamic State. |
| “Now is not the time for government gridlock or bickering,” he said. | “Now is not the time for government gridlock or bickering,” he said. |
| Mr. Biden last visited Iraq in November 2011, just weeks before the last American troops in Iraq were scheduled to leave. In a solemn ceremony, Mr. Biden saluted Iraqi troops, trained and equipped with billions of dollars from the United States, saying he hoped they would safeguard the country. | Mr. Biden last visited Iraq in November 2011, just weeks before the last American troops in Iraq were scheduled to leave. In a solemn ceremony, Mr. Biden saluted Iraqi troops, trained and equipped with billions of dollars from the United States, saying he hoped they would safeguard the country. |
| Three years later, those forces disintegrated in the face of an onslaught from Islamic State fighters and the inability of a corrupt central government to support and supply them. | Three years later, those forces disintegrated in the face of an onslaught from Islamic State fighters and the inability of a corrupt central government to support and supply them. |
| The United States has added back nearly 5,000 troops in Iraq, and it is using airstrikes and logistical support to bolster the country’s slow campaign against the Islamic State, which still occupies large stretches of territory. | The United States has added back nearly 5,000 troops in Iraq, and it is using airstrikes and logistical support to bolster the country’s slow campaign against the Islamic State, which still occupies large stretches of territory. |
| While the military campaign is showing signs of progress, American officials fear that renewed political turmoil in the country could hinder it. In one example, enormous street protests led by Moktada al-Sadr, a radical Shiite cleric, prompted Mr. Abadi to withdraw troops from the fight against the Islamic State to bolster security in Baghdad. The protests turned out to be peaceful, and the troops were returned to the front lines afterward. But American officials said the episode showed how political turmoil can be a troubling distraction. | While the military campaign is showing signs of progress, American officials fear that renewed political turmoil in the country could hinder it. In one example, enormous street protests led by Moktada al-Sadr, a radical Shiite cleric, prompted Mr. Abadi to withdraw troops from the fight against the Islamic State to bolster security in Baghdad. The protests turned out to be peaceful, and the troops were returned to the front lines afterward. But American officials said the episode showed how political turmoil can be a troubling distraction. |
| Mr. Biden then flew from Baghdad to Erbil to speak in person with Masoud Barzani, president of the Iraqi Kurdistan region. Mr. Barzani has spoken openly about holding an independence referendum, something Obama administration officials have told him needs to be delayed. Mr. Barzani is a crucial player in the military campaign to retake Mosul from the Islamic State. | |
| Mr. Biden gave a speech last year at the National Defense University hailing Iraq’s political class for rallying from defeats to create a strong and united government. “Iraqi leaders can’t afford to lose that sense of political urgency that brought them to this point,” Mr. Biden said. | Mr. Biden gave a speech last year at the National Defense University hailing Iraq’s political class for rallying from defeats to create a strong and united government. “Iraqi leaders can’t afford to lose that sense of political urgency that brought them to this point,” Mr. Biden said. |
| But since then, the political situation in Iraq has become so fluid that Mr. Biden’s team has sometimes been unsure whether officials he planned to meet with would still be in office when he arrived. | But since then, the political situation in Iraq has become so fluid that Mr. Biden’s team has sometimes been unsure whether officials he planned to meet with would still be in office when he arrived. |
| “The United States has always put a bandage on the politics while concentrating on security, not realizing that the politics is the source of much of the worry on the security front,” said Ramzy Mardini of the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based research institution. | “The United States has always put a bandage on the politics while concentrating on security, not realizing that the politics is the source of much of the worry on the security front,” said Ramzy Mardini of the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based research institution. |
| Dealing with Iraq’s political woes has been a never-ending balancing act for the United States. Two years ago, American officials supported the ouster of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, who was viewed as too powerful, authoritarian and sectarian. Now, they are trying to shore up Mr. Abadi, who is seen as too weak. | Dealing with Iraq’s political woes has been a never-ending balancing act for the United States. Two years ago, American officials supported the ouster of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, who was viewed as too powerful, authoritarian and sectarian. Now, they are trying to shore up Mr. Abadi, who is seen as too weak. |
| The recent battlefield gains have done little to resolve Iraq’s deep-seated problems. Hundreds of thousands of civilians displaced from the recaptured territory have been unable to return, and the deadly sectarian and tribal rivalries that fed the conflict in those areas largely persist. | The recent battlefield gains have done little to resolve Iraq’s deep-seated problems. Hundreds of thousands of civilians displaced from the recaptured territory have been unable to return, and the deadly sectarian and tribal rivalries that fed the conflict in those areas largely persist. |
| Iraq will need billions of dollars in aid to reconstruct parts of the country shattered by warfare. American officials worry that the aid will not be forthcoming until donor countries see signs that Iraq’s politics are more settled. | Iraq will need billions of dollars in aid to reconstruct parts of the country shattered by warfare. American officials worry that the aid will not be forthcoming until donor countries see signs that Iraq’s politics are more settled. |
| As the military campaign approaches Mosul, a multiethnic and multisectarian city, delicate negotiations will be needed between the central government’s forces and those of the Kurdish forces in the semiautonomous north to determine who will do what, American officials said. | As the military campaign approaches Mosul, a multiethnic and multisectarian city, delicate negotiations will be needed between the central government’s forces and those of the Kurdish forces in the semiautonomous north to determine who will do what, American officials said. |
| Retaking Mosul is a goal of Mr. Obama’s, although in a recent interview he did not say when he expected that to happen. “My expectation is that by the end of the year, we will have created the conditions whereby Mosul will eventually fall,” he told Charlie Rose of CBS. | Retaking Mosul is a goal of Mr. Obama’s, although in a recent interview he did not say when he expected that to happen. “My expectation is that by the end of the year, we will have created the conditions whereby Mosul will eventually fall,” he told Charlie Rose of CBS. |
| In his talks with officials, Mr. Biden is expected to urge all sides in Iraq to unite behind a single plan to retake Mosul. | In his talks with officials, Mr. Biden is expected to urge all sides in Iraq to unite behind a single plan to retake Mosul. |