WASHINGTON (AP) — A spokeswoman for Sen. John McCain says he traveled to northern Syria last week to discuss with the U.S. forces stationed there plans for defeating the Islamic State extremist group and pushing the militants out of their self-declared caliphate in Raqqa.

McCain, an Arizona Republican, is chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

In a statement Wednesday, McCain’s spokeswoman described the visit as a “valuable opportunity to assess dynamic conditions on the group in Iraq and Syria.” McCain didn’t announce the trip in advance.

McCain has been a harsh critic of President Donald Trump’s worldview, declaring his administration in disarray. But the statement says the president “has rightly ordered a review of U.S. strategy and plans to defeat” the Islamic State.