Trump's Son-In-Law, Kushner, Flies into Iraq with Top US General


Trump's Son-In-Law, Kushner, Flies into Iraq with Top US General

TEHRAN (Tasnim) - US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, flew into Iraq on Monday with the top US military officer allegedly to get a first-hand assessment of the battle against Daesh (ISIL) from US commanders on the ground and to meet Iraqi officials.

For Kushner, who has not been to Iraq before, the trip comes at a critical time as Trump examines ways to accelerate a US-led coalition campaign that US and Iraqi officials say has so far been largely successful in uprooting Daesh militants in Iraq and Syria.

The visit appears to demonstrate the far-reaching portfolio of Kushner, 36, who is part of Trump's innermost circle and who has been given a wide range of domestic and foreign policy responsibilities, including working on a Middle East peace deal.

Marine General Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the US military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he invited Kushner and Tom Bossert, White House homeland security adviser, to accompany him so they could hear "first-hand and unfiltered" from military advisers about the situation on the ground and interact with US forces.

"I said, 'Hey, next time I go to Iraq, if you're interested, come and it’d be good," Dunford said, adding he extended the invitation weeks ago, Reuters reported.

That kind of ground-level awareness of the war helps inform strategic decisions, Dunford said, adding it was the same reason he regularly leaves Washington to visit Iraq.

"The more appreciation you could have for what's actually happening on the ground, the more informed you are when you start talking about the strategic issues," Dunford said.

Although media reported on Sunday that Kushner and Dunford were in Iraq over the weekend, they only arrived on Monday afternoon. Reuters was among a small group of reporters traveling with the US delegation.

Kushner, who is married to Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump, did not speak with reporters during the flight to Iraq.

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