The US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, arrived in Baghdad Tuesday, the highest-ranking US official to visit Iraq since the US withdrawal began 8 months ago. Speaking to reporters before landing in Baghdad, Dempsey said the US still plays an important role in Iraq but in different circumstances, and insisted that the two nations are now on a partnership basis. Dempsey said he came to talk with Iraqi counterparts about expanding military ties, not to make demands.

Dempsey arrived from Afghanistan where his plane was damaged by a rebel rocket attack on Monday while it was parked at Bagram Air Force base in northern Kabul. The US General had to use another aircraft to fly to Iraq, where he will meet with Iraqi President Nuri al-Maliki and Iraqi Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Babaker Zebari.