Smiling Troops Greet Kerry in Mosul, Iraq

John Kerry visited US troops stationed in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, scene of a major suicide attack against on a US base in December, the US military said.

Kerry ate dinner on Thursday with soldiers at Camp Freedom, a former Saddam Hussein palace, and met with Brigadier General Carter Ham, commander of troops in northern Iraq, and local provincial governor Duraid Kashmula, it said in a statement.

(AFP/US Army/HO)

"Thanks for what you're doing," the senator from Massachusetts told soldiers. "The folks back home really appreciate your courage and sacrifice."


Soldiers of Task Fore Olympia, the command and control element of Multi-National Brigade Northwest, in Mosul.(AFP/HO-US ARMY)

During the presidential campaign, Kerry was a strong critic of how the administration of US President George W. Bush was managing its involvement in Iraq and said the invasion of the country in 2003 diverted resources and focus from the global war on terror.


John Kerry arrived in Damascus, Syria today where he will meet with President Bashar Assad and other Syrian officials.

(AP Photo/Bassem Tellawi)