IRAQ - US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has made an unannounced trip to Iraq, during which he said the United States is committed to keeping its military presence in the country and continuing the fight against ISIL (ISIS).

The Pentagon chief’s trip to Baghdad on Tuesday came just before the 20-year anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, which led to the deaths of tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians, toppled leader Saddam Hussein and helped unleash forces that paved the way for the rise of ISIL.

Austin, the most senior official in President Joe Biden’s administration to visit Iraq, was the last commanding general of US forces there after the invasion.

“US forces are ready to remain in Iraq at the invitation of the government of Iraq,” Austin told reporters after meeting Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani.

“The United States will continue to strengthen and broaden our partnership in support of Iraqi security, stability, and sovereignty,” he said.

Al-Sudani later said in a statement that his government’s approach is to maintain balanced relations with regional and international governments based on shared interests and respect for sovereignty, and that “the stability of Iraq is the key to the security and stability of the region.”

The United States currently has 2,500 troops in Iraq - and an additional 900 in Syria - to help advise and assist local troops in combating ISIS, who seized swathes of territory in 2014 in both countries.

ISIS is far from the formidable force it once was, but militant cells have survived across parts of northern Iraq and northeastern Syria.