US defense secretary in Iraq for anti-Daesh talks

By Ibrahim Salih

BAGHDAD (AA) - U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis arrived in Iraq on Monday, a day after Iraqi forces launched a fresh attempt to drive Daesh from the Mosul.

Mattis will hold talks with Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi and senior officials on the anti-Daesh effort, a Defense Ministry official told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.

Speaking to reporters in Abu Dhabi before departing for Baghdad, Mattis said the U.S. was not interested in Iraqi oil. “We’re not in Iraq to seize anybody’s oil,” he said.

Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington should have kept Iraq’s oil after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 to oust Saddam Hussein.

On Sunday, Iraqi forces began an renewed offensive to clear Daesh from western Mosul, their last stronghold in the northern city.

In October, the Iraqi military -- backed by a U.S.-led air coalition and local allies on the ground -- began a wide-ranging campaign to retake Mosul, which was overrun by Daesh in June 2014.