McCain, Cheney pay visits to Iraq

In overlapping visits to Iraq's capital, US Vice-President Dick Cheney and Arizona Senator John McCain separately vowed yesterday to uphold a long-term military commitment to the country so long as Al-Qaida is not defeated.

Explosions also struck not far from Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, shortly after Cheney arrived. Helicopter gunships circled central Baghdad, but no other details were immediately available on the cause of the explosions.

McCain, the presumptive Republican candidate for president who has linked his political future to military success in Iraq, met yesterday with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki shortly before the Iraqi leader began separate talks with Cheney.