Schumer, McConnell meet with Iraqi PM

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and his GOP counterpart, Sen. Mitch McConnell welcomed Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Khadimi to the U.S. Capitol Wednesday afternoon.

The two Senate leaders met the Iraqi prime minister, and his delegation, for lunch at the Capitol.

Earlier, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi welcomed Iraq's top political leader on the other side of the Capitol.

On Monday, President Joe Biden met with al-Khadimi in the Oval Office and said the U.S. combat mission in Iraq will conclude by the end of the year, an announcement that reflects the reality on the ground more than a major shift in U.S. policy.

For years, U.S. troops have played support roles in Iraq and in neighboring Syria, which was the origin of the Islamic State group that swept across the border in 2014 and captured large swaths of Iraqi territory, prompting the U.S. to send troops back to Iraq that year.

Biden said the U.S. military will continue to assist Iraq in its fight against the Islamic State group, or ISIS. A joint U.S.-Iraq statement said the security relationship will be focused on training, advising and intelligence-sharing.