Al-Abadi says no counter-meausres against US travel limits

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Sunday, during his meeting with the Iraq Center for Strategic Studies and Research, that the Iraqi government will not take any counter-measures towards the new travel limits to the United States set by the US president Donald Trump earlier. Meanwhile, Iraq expects the planned visit of the new US defense secretary James Mattis to Baghdad. Mattis will visit his country's deployed forces in Anbar, Nineveh, Irbil and near Baghdad, as well as meet with Iraqi leaders.

The Iraqi government has declined to comment on the executive order signed by new U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday that suspends the entry of travelers from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for at least 90 days.

The order stirred angry reactions in Iraq, where more than 5,000 U.S. troops are deployed to help Iraqi 
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter arrived in Iraq Saturday to meet with his commanders and assess the progress in the opening days of the operation to retake the northern city of Mosul from Islamic State (ISIS) militants.

This is Mattis's first trip to Iraq as defense secretary, as he will meet with Iraqi leaders and military commanders to determine how the fight is going and whether or not any changes, increased resources or other assistance is needed.

The U.S. estimates there are between 3,000 and 5,000 ISIS fighters in the Mosul area, but some of the top leaders have likely fled the city. A key factor will be how long those mid-level commanders stay in the city, or if they decide to leave.

The U.S. is uncertain how hard ISIS will defend Mosul. But, once the fighting gets to the center of the city, ISIS will have certain advantages that are more favorable for the use of snipers and the restriction of vehicle movement.
More than 4,800 U.S. troops are in Iraq and there are more than 100 U.S. special operations forces operating with Iraqi units. Hundreds more U.S. forces are playing a support role in staging bases farther from the front lines.