US Defense Secretary Carter makes surprise visit to Baghdad

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter arrived in Baghdad on Wednesday for talks with U.S. military commanders, seeking ways to intensify the fight against Daesh militants.

Carter said earlier at the start of his trip to the Middle East that he would be speaking to commanders to "get their latest reading on the battlefield situation and also very importantly their thinking about ways that we can continue to accelerate the campaign to defeat ISIL[Daesh]".

Carter asked for more assistance from Turkey on Tuesday to help destroy Daesh terrorists as he kicked off a tour of the Middle East that aims to drum up regional support for the military campaign.

"Turkey has an enormous role to play," said Carter, on his first trip to Incirlik as defense secretary. "We appreciate what they're (Turkey is) doing. We want them to do more."

That includes Turkish forces joining "in the air and the ground as appropriate," Carter told reporters traveling with him. "The single most important contribution that their geography makes necessary is the control of their own border."

Incirlik has grown more important in the U.S.-led campaign of air strikes against Daesh, with 59 U.S., Turkish, Qatari and German aircraft now operating out of the base, up from about 15 from all coalition countries at the beginning of September, U.S. officials said.

Around 45 aircraft are from the United States and include both manned and unmanned. They conduct refueling, intelligence and strike missions, officials said.

On Monday, speaking after a meeting of the U.S. National Security Council at the Pentagon, President Barack Obama said Carter's trip to the region aimed to secure greater military contributions from allies in the campaign against Daesh.