President Donald Trump made his first trip to Afghanistan on Thanksgiving Day, with a surprise visit to rally U.S. troops at an air base in the country.
Trump arrived at Bagram Air Base unannounced as troops looked up from their Thanksgiving dinner.
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President @realDonaldTrump visits U.S. Soldiers at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan…. pic.twitter.com/HpHd6PxEqn— Dan Scavino Jr.
(@Scavino45) November 28, 2019
“All right, who wants some photos?” said one of the officers accompanying Trump, drawing cheers and applause from the troops.
“Youre very special people. … You dont even know how much the [American] people love and respect you,” he told the troops.
Trump delivered a speech to the troops, mentioning recent U.S. military victories in Syria, according to a live stream. He noted that ISIS terrorist group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi “is dead” and that his No. 2 is also dead, adding that Al-Baghdadi “raped and slaughtered” people, including U.S. citizens.
“The American warriors hunted him down … and they punched his ticket to hell,” Trump said.
Trump then said that European countries, from where some ISIS fighters hail, should deal with the numerous ISIS terrorists being held captive in Syria.
His unannounced visit comes about a week after a helicopter crash in Afghanistan brought the number of U.S. deaths in Afghanistan this year to 19.
About 14,000 U.S. soldiers are still in the country, and 2019 has been the deadliest year since 2014, CBS News reported.
At least 2,400 Americans have died in the decades-long conflict.
Gen. Khoshal Sadat, the highest-ranking police official in Afghanistan, told CBS thaRead More – Source
