Outgoing US Defense Secretary Pays Visit to Baghdad: Pentagon

MOSCOW, December 9 (Sputnik) — The outgoing US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel arrived in Baghdad, Pentagon said Tuesday.

"SecDef [Secretary of Defense Chuck] Hagel arrived in Baghdad today to visit/thank our troops for their contributions to the fight against ISIL [the IS]," Pentagon said on its Twitter account.

Hagel's Tuesday visit to Baghdad was unannounced. He arrived in the Iraqi capital from Kuwait, where he told reporters that the US-led anti-IS coalition support for Iraq has resulted in some progress.

"I do believe and know — and we have measurable, tangible means of measuring this — that the Iraqi security forces, Peshmerga, along with coalition support and help, including the United States, has, in fact, allowed the Iraqi security forces to take back some ground. It's given them some new momentum, organization, structure. They've taken initiatives. They continue to take initiatives," Hagel was quoted as saying in a statement published on the US Defense Ministry's website.

Hagel's visits to Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan over the past few days come in the wake of his plans to step down as Secretary of Defense. In the end of November, Hagel submitted his resignation to US President Barack Obama, agreeing to remain in office until a successor is appointed. On Friday, Obama nominated former Pentagon official Ashton Carter for Defense Secretary.