Trump makes unannounced visit to US troops in Iraq

Nearly two years into his presidency, Donald Trump has made his first visit to a war zone with a surprise trip to Iraq. The unannounced visit a day after Christmas came after the US president faced growing pressure to spend time with troops on the frontline. It also comes a week after the president stunned his national security advisers by announcing that he would withdraw US troops from neighbouring Syria, where they have been fighting Islamic State militants, prompting the resignation of the defense secretary, Jim Mattis. Trump made the secret 11-hour flight on Air Force One with lights off and window shades drawn plus military jet escorts. He was accompanied by the first lady, Melania Trump, and national security adviser, John Bolton. Asked if he had concerns about making the trip, the president told reporters: “I had concerns about the institution of the presidency. Not for myself personally. I had concerns for the first lady, I will tell you. But if you would have seen what we had to go through in the darkened plane with all windows closed with no light anywhere. Pitch black. I’ve been on many airplanes. All types and shapes and sizes. “So did I have a concern? Yes, I had a concern.” The president spent around three and a half hours at al-Asad airbase in western Iraq but did not visit Baghdad. He met US military leaders and addressed hundreds of troops. A scheduled in-person meeting with Iraq’s prime minister, Adil Abdul-Mahdi, was cancelled.