Joe Biden arrives in Baghdad for a surprise visit

Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Baghdad Tuesday for a surprise visit to troops and meetings with Iraqi officials on the future of the US-Iraq relationship post-troop withdrawal, reported MSNBC.

According to Time Magazine, a White House official released a statement about Biden's unexpected trip:

While here, the Vice President will co-chair a meeting of the U.S.-Iraq Higher Coordinating Committee. He will also meet with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, President Jalal Talabani, Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi, and other political leaders. The Vice President will also participate in, and give remarks at, an event to commemorate the sacrifices and accomplishments of U.S. and Iraqi troops.

The Vice President's two-day visit comes as troops are rapidly withdrawing from the country, after negotiations for a possible extension of the deadline collapsed when Iraqi officials refused to give US troops legal immunity, CNN reported. 

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Only 11,000 troops remain in Iraq, and all but 150 will be pulled out before the end of 2011, a US official told CNN. Nearly one million troops have served in Iraq since 2003.

This is Biden's eighth trip to Iraq since taking office, according to the New York Times.

As troops withdraw, however, violence has not diminished in Iraq. The Miami Herald reported that two bombs and a rocket attack struck Baghdad on Monday, bringing November's death count to more than 100, compared to October's 62 deaths. The deadliest explosion was in front of a prison that killed 11 people.

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