President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump made a surprise visit to U.S. military forces in Iraq Wednesday making it the first visit by the president to troops stationed abroad in a combat zone, the New York Times reported Wednesday.
The president is expected to make two stops while overseas on the post-Christmas trip.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders posted a photo to Twitter of Trump standing with troops and senior military leadership.
"President Trump and the First Lady traveled 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," Sanders wrote.
The trip was shrouded in secrecy with Air Force One flying to Iraq overnight, landing at an airbase west of Baghdad Wednesday evening.
The U.S. has more than 5,000 troops stationed in Iraq 15 years after the 2003 invasion. Military forces stationed there are supporting the government as it continues its fight against what remains of the Islamic State. IS has lost a significant amount of its territory in Iraq and Syria, but is still considered a threat in the country. Trump told troops that he has "no plans at all" to withdraw forces from Iraq, despite recent decisions to pull American forces out of Syria and considering reducing the U.S. presence in Afghanistan.
The visit by the president comes after a wild week for Trump that saw the government partially shutdown, the Secretary of Defense resigning, and steep losses on Wall Street.
The stock market experienced some of the worst losses since 2008 as Wall Street digests the fallout from a slowing global economy, repercussions from Trump's trade war with China, and comments by the president on the Federal Reserve and the chairman's recent hikes of interest rates. Trading was back in positive territory Wednesday afternoon following a dismal Christmas Eve for the market.
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