Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday paid a surprise visit to Baghdad to meet with Iraqi leaders and pledge $155 million in new aid to the country to help fight ISIS. Kerry, during the visit, met with Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari at a “very critical time” for the country and the broader region. “It’s important to have stability,” Kerry told reporters, according to The Associated Press. “And it is important to have a unified and functioning government as soon as possible, so that these operations are not affected.” Kerry’s visit comes as Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is changing his cabinet, an “internal matter” that needs to be put aside for the good of Iraq, he said. Iraq is also preparing for one of its largest fights against ISIS, looking to retake the city of Mosul with help from the US-led coalition. “We will succeed,” Kerry said, according to AP. “And the evidence on the ground suggests we are in fact doing that now.”
The Space Development Agency says it’s on track to issue its next batch of missile warning and tracking satellite contracts this month after those awards were delayed by the Pentagon’s decision to divert funds from the agency to pay troops during this fall’s prolonged government shutdown.
