Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sought to reassure Iraqi officials on Wednesday that the U.S. remained committed to fighting the Islamic State, as he tours regional allies troubled by the country’s Syria plans.

Mr. Pompeo’s unannounced visit came less than two weeks after President Donald Trump drew criticism for failing to meet a single Iraqi official during a surprise Christmas trip to U.S. troops at an air base in western Iraq.

West Asia trip

Mr. Pompeo is in West Asia to urge allies to continue to confront the “significant threats” posed by Iran and jihadists despite Mr. Trump’s shock decision last month to pull all U.S. troops from Syria.

In Baghdad, Mr. Pompeo met a raft of senior officials including Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi and President Barham Saleh. He underlined “U.S. support for the new Iraqi government’s efforts to deliver stability, security and prosperity to all Iraqis,” a U.S. official said.

He ducked reporters’ questions about U.S. pullout plans, but Mr. Saleh replied that Baghdad wanted Washington to remain engaged. “We will need the support of the U.S.,” he said. “ISIS is defeated militarily, but (the) mission is not accomplished,” Mr. Saleh added.