While
in Iraq, Biden will meet with political leaders and is "focused on
encouraging Iraqi national unity and continued momentum in the fight
against ISIL," according to a White House statement, using a different
term for ISIS.
"The Vice President
will also be discussing steps the international community can take to
promote Iraq's economic stability and further regional cooperation," the
statement continued. "He will also have an opportunity to thank US
diplomatic and military personnel for their tremendous service."
The bigger danger
Biden
has made several visits to Iraq to shore up the important bilateral
relationship, particularly in the early years of the Obama
administration, but this is his first trip since 2011.
A lot has changed since then.
In summer 2014, the terror group ISIS swept into the country, taking large swaths of land, including the city of Mosul.
The
crisis led to a change in government as well, and while Prime Minister
Haider al-Abadi is working to bridge sectarian divides, his government
has been plagued in recent months by protests and opposition from
predecessor Nuri al-Maliki, as well as Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
It's an issue Biden is keenly aware of as he meets with political leaders.
"The
more the political system in Baghdad is consumed with everybody keeping
their job, or figuring out how to rearrange the government, the more
difficult it is for everybody to be on the same page as it relates to
the next step in the counter-ISIL campaign," said one senior
administration official traveling with Biden. "The bigger danger you
have to hedge against is that."
Earlier
this month, Biden spoke with Abadi and President of the Iraqi Kurdistan
Region Masoud Barzani, in which they agreed on the importance of the
fight against ISIS.
The home-stretch
According
to an official, President Barack Obama instructed his team at the end
of the year that his "No.1 foreign policy priority in 2016 was putting
ISIL on the path to defeat."
"And
obviously you can't do that if you don't get it right in Iraq," the
official said, noting that Biden has been the point person for Iraq
since the beginning of Obama's first term.
"His
visit is really just to reaffirm our partnership with Iraq," the
official added, "and how important Iraq is to the Obama administration
down the home stretch."
Biden's
visit follows several major announcements in recent weeks regarding
America's role in stepping up the fight against ISIS.
Last
week, on a similar trip to Iraq, Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced
the U.S. is sending 217 additional troops to Iraq. Obama then announced
on Monday that the U.S. is sending 250 more troops -- mostly Special
Operations forces -- to Syria. In both cases, U.S. personnel will
support local forces by acting as trainers and advisers.
The
U.S. is also providing Army Apache attack helicopters as part of the
effort in Iraq and will be putting a long-range artillery system in
southern Turkey to conduct more strikes against ISIS targets in
neighboring Syria.
The official
emphasized recent gains in the fight against ISIS, saying the group
"doesn't enjoy freedom of movement like they used to."
"They're
not able to amass forces like they used to," the official said. "And
where we have dedicated local forces with coalition support, ISIL loses.
So they're losing."
Aiming for Mosul
Retaking
Mosul remains a high priority for the Iraqi government, but U.S.
officials are hesitant to outline a specific timeline for such an
operation.
"We all have to be
realistic," the official said. "We're at the end of April. Once we get
into June, July and August, it starts to get pretty hot in Iraq and
things slow down."
"But we want to make as much progress before the summer heat really gets raging as possible," the official said.
Iraqi
forces are focused on cutting key supply lines into Mosul, a senior
military official told reporters Wednesday, but it may then take more
than 25,000 troops to liberate the city, many of whom still need to be
trained.
Carter hinted at a
congressional hearing on Wednesday that preparations are well underway,
saying the U.S. and Iraqis are focused on "collecting and positioning,
before Ramadan commences, the forces for the envelopment of Mosul."
The Islamic holy month of Ramadan begins in early June.
Another senior administration official traveling with Biden added that a conversation regarding Mosul is likely.
"I would expect that some discussion of how this planning is coming together is pretty high on the agenda," the official said
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