The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff will visit Iraq to check the status of security cooperation between the United States and Iraq, American Forces Press Service reported. Army Gen. Martin Dempsey will meet with the commander of the U.S. Office of Security Cooperation in Iraq, Army Lt. Gen. Robert Caslen.
The report noted that Dempsey will also meet with his Iraqi counterpart, Gen. Zebari Babakir, and get his insights on how the transition is working. "How's that campaign going?" Dempsey asked. "Do they have the resources they need?"
Dempsey reportedly said the stop will give him a general idea of security environment in Iraq. There has been some violence in the country recently recently, including a series of attacks timed to the end of Ramadan that killed 92 people.
The chairman reportedly said he may or may not meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. "If I do I will take the opportunity to renew my friendship with him, but also get his insights on Syria," he said. "We'll see how that goes."
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June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.