Gen. Dempsey Lands In Iraq As U.S. Presence Starts To Grow

Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey briefs reporters at the Pentagon in September about ongoing operations against Islamic extremists in Syria and Iraq.

J. Scott Applewhite/AP

America's top military leader landed in Iraq today. Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, goes to Iraq as the American military presence there ramps up once more.

NPR's Alice Fordham has more:

"The general is welcome in Baghdad, says spokesman Ghassan al-Husseini. Dempsey will have meetings with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and top generals to discuss how to retake areas of the country overrun by the so-called Islamic State and the U.S.-led air campaign, which has struck the extremists over the last two months.

"Dempsey's visit comes as the U.S. prepares to deploy 1,500 military advisors to Iraq. Tribal leaders in Anbar province say American soldiers are already training hundreds of men.

"He will also likely meet some new faces: His visit comes just a few days after the prime minister dismissed more than two dozen top military brass in what he called a push against corruption."