Trump, first lady in Iraq for surprise visit with troops - Fox News

President Trump and the first lady appeared in Iraq on Wednesday for a surprise visit with troops and senior military leadership at Al Asad Air Base, where he said he has "no plans at all" to remove any of the 5,000 U.S. troops from the country.

Trump's visit -- his first as president to a combat zone -- comes on the heels of his announcement about pulling troops out of Syria and the rumored removal of thousands of troops in Afghanistan.

U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump greet military personnel at the dining facility during an unannounced visit to Al Asad Air Base, Iraq December 26, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC1A7F8AD820

The president was joined at the air base by National Security Adviser John Bolton for meetings with political and military leaders. The president spent around three hours on the ground with First Lady Melania Trump vesting U.S. Troops, according to Reuters.

"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," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted.

Trump's surprise visit to the region came a week after he declared ISIS had been “defeated” in Syria in a tweet and ordered all American diplomats and soldiers out of the country.

The U.S. first deployed troops to Syria in 2015 during the Obama administration as part of a partnership with Kurdish-led forces against ISIS. A year before the deployment, U.S. airstrikes also began in Syria.

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks to U.S. troops in an unannounced visit to Al Asad Air Base, Iraq December 26, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC1DDA2CDD00

Outgoing Defense Secretary Jim Mattis signed orders on Sunday to pull all American troops out of Syria in the coming weeks, a senior defense official told Fox News. Pentagon officials at the time refused to discuss specifics, including the timeline, citing operational security for the roughly 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria.

The president told reporters traveling with him that he wants to get U.S. soldiers home from Syria and that Iraq can still be used as a base to stage attacks on Islamic State militants if needed, according to the Associated Press.

Trump added that if needed, the U.S. can attack IS "so fast and so hard" that they "won't know what the hell happened."

"I think a lot of people are going to come around to my way of thinking. It's time for us to start using our head," he told reporters.

TRUMP LAMENTS MEDIA FOCUS ON PULLOUTS FROM 'NEVER ENDING WARS' IN SYRIA, AFGHANISTAN

Last month, Trump hinted he would soon visit troops deployed in a war zone.

President Donald Trump visits with members of the military at a dining hall at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2018. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

In an exclusive interview on "Fox News Sunday," Trump was asked by host Chris Wallace why he hadn't visited the troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan in the two years he's served as commander in chief.

"Well, I think you will see that happen," the president said after Wallace noted that Obama and former President George W. Bush had each visited soldiers in war zones. "There are things that are being planned. We don’t want to talk about it because of -- obviously because of security reasons and everything else."

The president previously drew criticism for his decision not to visit Arlington National Cemetery to mark Veterans Day, following his trip to Europe. He said later he "should have" visited the cemetery but was too busy with official business.

Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson, Gregg Re and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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