US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump
have made an unannounced Christmas visit to US troops in
Iraq.
They travelled there "late on Christmas night" to thank
troops for "their service, their success and their sacrifice",
the White House said.
Mr Trump said the US had no plans to pull out of Iraq.
The trip came days after Defence Secretary Jim Mattis quit
over divisions about strategy in the region.
The US still has some 5,000 troops in Iraq to support the
government in its fight against what remains of the Islamic
State (IS) group.
Mr Trump, his wife and National Security Adviser John
Bolton travelled on Air Force One to al-Asad airbase, west of
the capital Baghdad, to meet military personnel in the base's
canteen.
It was his first visit to the region.
During the visit he got a standing ovation from troops as he
entered a dining hall and walked around greeting them,
posing for selfies and signing autographs.
He said the reason for the visit was to personally thank
them for helping to defeat IS, adding: "Two years ago when I
became president they were a very dominant group, today
they're not so dominant any more. Great job."

The president told the soldiers he had secured a 10% wage
increase for them, after learning their pay had been
stagnant for "more than 10 years".
In fact armed forces personnel have received a pay rise in
each of the past 10 years. The increase for 2019, approved
by the president in August, will be 2.6%.
Mr Trump had planned to spend Christmas at his private
golf club in Florida, but stayed behind in Washington
because of the current partial government shutdown.
The Question Is, Can Our Government Do The Same?
Your opinions are needed.

Trump completely at Parallels with our Lifeless dullard, no wonder he never wants to see him again.

Good man

When will our lifeless dullard visit Metele or Chibok and celebrate christmas/sallah with the troops. He should infact go celebrate new year with the troops in the warfront, and not Maiduguri

BMC will arrange a photoshoot with the military men in Sambisa very soon

Photo op, it's taken him how many years to visit troops in a conflict zone since becoming president and the only reason he took this last minute trip was because of all the backlash he's been receiving. Well done for doing what you're supposed to be doing in the first place I guess lol