US defense secretary in Baghdad to huddle with top officers

US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter made a surprise visit to Iraq on Wednesday in order to confer with senior American military officers based in the country on ways of intensifying attacks on Islamic State. Earlier, Carter said the purpose of his visit was to "get their latest reading on the battlefield situation and also very importantly their thinking about ways that we can continue to accelerate the campaign." DEBKAfile's defense-related sources say that this shows Carter's lack of confidence in his country's military intelligence system that has released optimistic and unrealistic reports on the military campaign against ISIS.