New US Iraq commander due in Ankara tomorrow

Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, the new commander of US forces in Iraq, is set to arrive in Ankara tomorrow for an official visit. Meeting with Interior Minister Atalay and top military officials, Austin and his Turkish colleagues will review a counter-terrorism action plan previously agreed on by the US, Turkey and Iraq. Ankara will seek continued US support for this plan. In related stories, Turkey's Ambassador to Iraq Murat Ozcelik, who recently met with Kurdistan regional administration head Massoud Barzani, will also visit Ankara soon to speak with his superiors, and next week National Intelligence Organization (MIT) head Hakan Fidan will reportedly pay a visit to Erbil, the administration's capital.