U.S. Secretary of Defense Gates shakes hands with Iraqi commanders during his visit to Baghdad

U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (R) shakes hands with Iraqi commanders during his visit to Baghdad July 28, 2009. Gates said during a visit to Iraq on Tuesday that the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from urban bases was paying off as Iraqi forces assumed the lead for Iraq’s fragile security. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ CONFLICT POLITICS MILITARY)