President Trump visited American military forces in Iraq on Wednesday, a surprise trip and the first visit to troops stationed abroad in a combat zone by a commander in chief who has made withdrawing the United States from foreign wars a signature issue.
Mr Trump landed at 7.16 pm local time at Al-Asad Air Base in Iraq, accompanied by his wife Melania Trump, an AFP correspondent said.
The president spoke to a group of about 100 mostly special forces personnel and separately with military leaders before leaving a few hours later, an AFP correspondent said.
A planned meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi was scrapped and replaced by a phone call, the premier's office said.
President Trump and Melania Trump pose for photos as they greet members of the United States military in a dining hall at al-Asad air base, Iraq. Source: The New York Times
During the call, Trump invited the PM to visit Washington and he accepted, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said.
Mr Trump was expected to make two stops on his post-Christmas trip, delivering a holiday message to the more than 5,000 American forces stationed in the country.
President Donald Trump kisses first lady Melania Trump during a hanger rally at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq. Source: AP
“President Trump and the First Lady travelled to Iraq late on Christmas night to visit with our troops and Senior Military leadership to thank them for their service, their success, and their sacrifice and to wish them a Merry Christmas,” Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House spokeswoman, said in a tweet.
Visiting troops abroad is a cherished tradition for presidents. President George W Bush served Thanksgiving turkey to the soldiers in Baghdad in 2003, in the early days of the Iraq War.
President Barack Obama flew to Baghdad in April 2009, four months after his inauguration, winning cheers when he told the troops it was time for the Iraqis to take responsibility for their own country.
The president addresses the troops. Source: AP
But nearly two years into his presidency, Mr Trump had yet to visit any troops abroad, drawing criticism from various corners.
After he last month during a World War I battlefield commemoration, he told Chris Wallace, the Fox News anchor, that he had not visited troops abroad because of “an unbelievably busy schedule.”
US President Donald Trump takes a photo as he greets members of the US military. Source: Getty Images
But apart from the photo ops alongside uniformed military members, Mr Trump used the Iraq trip to further
The policy changes, defended by Mr Trump as an exit from wars where the United States no longer needs to be expending lives and money, have sparked alarm among US allies.
However, the move has come under fire from international allies such as France and even elements within his own Republican party.
But Mr Trump stressed during his brief stop at Al-Asad Air Base that the United States has been fighting other countries' battles for them for too long.
US Army soldiers and Navy sailors cheer as the president enters the hanger at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq. Source: AP
The president declared that "the United States cannot continue to be the policeman of the world."
"You can't have any more time. You've had enough time," he said he had told his generals.
"It's not fair when the burden is all on us," he said.
"We don't want to be taken advantage of any more by countries that use us and use our incredible military to protect them. They don't pay for it and they're going to have to.
"We are spread out all over the world. We are in countries most people haven't even heard about. Frankly, it's ridiculous," he added.
US President Donald Trump addresses troops in a hanger at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq. Source: AP
The drawdowns - and the abrupt way that they were announced - helped lead to the resignation of Mr Trump's defense secretary, Jim Mattis, who has been one of the administration's key heavyweights.
In his unusually forcefully worded resignation letter, Mattis appeared to chide the president when he stressed his own "strongly held" views on "treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors."
However, the president has made disentangling America from its wars a priority since his 2016 election and he said in Iraq that the US would no longer be treated as "suckers," CNN reported.
The Islamic State group, which once controlled swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria, has been driven mostly into hiding.
On Wednesday, Mr Trump said "we've knocked them out," although he appeared to hedge his bets - following widespread criticism that his victory declaration is premature - when he added that Iraq might be used as a future base for operations in Syria, CNN reported.
In Afghanistan, Mr Trump wants to withdraw about half of the 14,000 soldiers locked in a war against Taliban guerrillas that has long resembled a stalemate.
- with The New York Times
