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2018-12-27 Iraq
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In a first, Trump makes surprise visit to US troops in Iraq
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 [Dhaka Tribune] President Donald Trump
...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States...
made a surprise Christmas visit to US troops in Iraq on Wednesday, his first trip to a conflict zone nearly two years into his presidency and days after announcing a pullout of American troops from neighboring Syria.
Trump was looking for some positive headlines after several days of turmoil over his decisions to withdraw the 2,000 US troops in Syria, pull out half of the 14,000-strong contingent in Afghanistan, and push out Defense Secretary James Mattis two months earlier than planned for criticizing his policies.
Accompanied by first lady Melania Trump and speaking at the Al Asad Air Base west of Baghdad, Trump defended the withdrawal from Syria and said it was made possible by the defeat of Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
hard boys.
"Our presence in Syria was not open ended and it was never intended to be permanent," he told troops wearing camouflage fatigues in a hangar at the base. He said some troops "can now return home to their families."
Many Republican and Democratic politicians have heaped scorn on Trump over his Syria policy, saying the fight against Islamic State is far from over and the withdrawal leaves allies in the lurch.
One of those critics was Mattis, who said in a candid resignation letter last week that his views did not align with Trump’s, particularly on the treatment of US allies.
Trump said he has "no plans at all" to order a withdrawal of American forces from Iraq, similar to what he ordered for US troops in Syria last week.
He had previously said that US forces could use Iraq as a staging ground for targeted forays across the border into Syria.
There are some 5,000 US soldiers in Iraq, compared to about 2,000 on the ground in Syria.
Trump spent about three and a half hours on the ground, visiting troops, meeting US officials, and taking a few questions from news hounds.
A scheduled meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi was cancelled. It is not immediately clear why.
He defended his decision to withdraw from Syria, saying "The United States cannot continue to be the policeman of the world." 
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Posted by Fred 2018-12-27 00:00||
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Posted by Bobby 2018-12-27 09:20||
2018-12-27 09:20||
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