AL-ASAD AIRBASE, Iraq (AP) – President Donald Trump is making an unannounced visit to Iraq – his first visit with U.S. troops in a troubled region.
Trump landed at an airbase west of Baghdad after dark Wednesday, leaving behind a government shutdown and other upheaval at home. The trip also comes after Trump announced that he was pulling U.S. forces out of neighboring Syria.
Trump, who begins his third year in office next month, had faced criticism for not visiting U.S. troops stationed in harm’s way. He told The Associated Press in October that he didn’t think such a visit was “overly necessary.”
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says President Donald Trump was unable to meet with the Iraqi prime minister because of security concerns and the short notice of the president’s trip to Iraq.
She says Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi has accepted Trump’s invitation for him to visit the White House next year.
On Trump’s meeting with senior military leaders, Sanders said: “The generals and President Trump came up with a powerful plan that will allow us to continue our path to total victory. People will see results in a short period time.”
Asked whether “total victory” referred to the Islamic State group, she said “it certainly has to do with that.”
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