Speaking Tuesday to US troops, Panetta said he will also travel to Iraq in the coming days for a ceremony that will shut down the US military mission there after nearly nine years of war.

Panetta’s plan to visit Libya comes amid ongoing violence there, including recent clashes between revolutionary fighters and national army troops near Tripoli’s airport.

Panetta says the US wants to help Libyans move in the right direction as the people take back their country. With military assistance from the US and NATO, Libyans ousted and later killed longtime leader Muammar Qaddafi earlier this year.