On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Iraq War, what signal does the visit of the US Secretary of Defense send to Iraq?

　　Chinanews.com, March 8th, comprehensive foreign media reports, on the 7th local time, US Secretary of Defense Austin arrived in Iraq for a visit. The itinerary has not been announced before.

Austin's trip reaffirmed "the commitment of the United States to maintain a military presence in Iraq."

According to the analysis, Austin's visit is an important reminder from the United States to the region that the United States will continue to play a role in Iraq.

　　According to Reuters reports, on the 7th local time, Austin arrived in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, by special plane.

It was followed by a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani.

He also met with other senior Iraqi officials, including Nechirwan Barzani, chairman of the Kurdistan Autonomous Region in the north.

Data map: U.S. Secretary of Defense Austin.

　　"Landing down in Baghdad. I am here to reaffirm the strategic partnership between the United States and Iraq, and we will move towards a safer, more stable, and more sovereign (independent) Iraq." Austin tweeted on social media after arriving in Baghdad wrote, and attached a video of the arrival.

　　Austin also made it clear that "at the invitation of the Iraqi government, U.S. forces are prepared to remain here ... U.S. forces in Iraq provide advice and assistance in non-combat operations in support of the Iraqi-led fight against terrorism."

　　The Jerusalem Post analyzes why Austin's visit is so important.

According to the media, Austin's visit is intended to show that the commitment of the United States remains firm.

Austin's visit is also an important reminder to the region that the United States will continue to play a role in Iraq.

　　Sudani's press statement stated that Iraq was "committed to strengthening and consolidating Iraqi-US relations based on mutual interests and respect for sovereignty," without directly confirming whether the Baghdad government invited the US military to stay.

　　According to reports from former U.S. officials and military experts, Austin's trip was intended to support Sudani's efforts to weaken Iran's influence in Iraq.

　　Austin is one of the highest-ranking U.S. officials in the Biden administration to visit Iraq.

He was also the last commander of U.S. troops in Iraq before U.S. troops withdrew from Iraq.

　　Austin's trip coincides with the 20th anniversary of the Iraq War.

On March 20, 2003, the United States and its Western allies brazenly invaded Iraq, bypassing the UN Security Council, on the grounds that "Saddam Hussein's government possesses weapons of mass destruction," despite strong opposition from the international community.

The war lasted more than seven years until the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq in August 2010.

　　According to the "Cost of War Project" by the Watson Institute of International Studies of Brown University in the United States, 185,000 to 208,000 Iraqi civilians were killed in the war in the past 20 years, and countless Iraqi families and people were affected by the war.

　　According to reports, the United States currently has 2,500 soldiers in Iraq, mainly assisting the local army in fighting the extremist organization "Islamic State".

　　In 2011, Austin, the former commander-in-chief of U.S. forces in the Middle East, said the U.S. had achieved its military goals in Iraq.

But under the leadership of former President Barack Obama, the United States again sent thousands of troops to Iraq and Syria in 2014 to participate in the fight against the extremist organization "Islamic State".