Rice pays unannounced visit to Baghdad

Baghdad, Feb 17: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice paid an unannounced visit to Baghdad today, arriving as American and Iraqi troops made initial gains in a new crackdown against militants in the Iraqi capital.

A US embassy official said Rice was expected to meet various officials during her visit.

The top US diplomat is scheduled to meet Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Jerusalem on Monday.

She arrived in Baghdad a day after the US House of Representatives denounced President George W Bush's decision to send more troops to help with the Baghdad offensive. The move was a symbolic challenge to Bush's unpopular war.

In Baghdad, US and Iraqi forces sweeping through the city have encountered little resistance to an operation seen as a final effort to quell sectarian violence that threatens to tear Iraq apart.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, under heavy US pressure to show progress, told Bush yesterday that the effort had been a ''brilliant success'' so far, while Bush said US patience was not unlimited.

Violence has declined in Baghdad as thousands of US and Iraqi forces flow into the city, but the dip is likely temporary while insurgents assess the situation, said Major General Joseph Fil, commander of US troops in Baghdad.

REUTERS

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