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Secret Visits Abound

Rumsfeld Makes Unannounced Visit to Iraq

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld made an unannounced visit to this northern Iraqi city Saturday to gauge the pace of progress toward stabilizing the country and defeating the insurgency.

It was Rumsfeld's second trip to Iraq in four months, reflecting the Bush administration's push for faster progress toward improving security and speeding the political transition to Iraqi control, as well as an effort by the Pentagon to boost U.S. troop morale. The trip also marked the first time Rumsfeld has visited Kirkuk, the center of Iraq's northern oil fields.