Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi (right), welcomes Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (second, right), and Donald Trump's senior advisor, Jared Kushner (third left), in Baghdad on Monday. (Reuters Photo)
Baghdad: President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford met with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Baghdad .
The visit marks an early foray for the Trump administration into the situation in Iraq. It comes against the backdrop of an ongoing investigation into civilian deaths in an area of Mosul near the site of an air-strike by US-led coalition forces last month.
Dunford invited Kushner and Thomas P. Bossert, a presidential assistant for homeland security and counter-terrorism, on the trip to meet with Iraqi leaders and U.S. forces and receive an update on the fight against the Islamic State group.
Capt. Greg Hicks, a spokesman for Dunford, said Kushner was "traveling on behalf of the president to express the president's support and commitment to the government of Iraq and U.S. personnel currently engaged in the campaign."
Kushner's West Wing portfolio is robust. He has been deeply involved with presidential staffing, recently launched a task force meant to modernize government using lessons drawn from the private sector, and has played the role of shadow diplomat, advising on relations with the Middle East, Canada and Mexico.