US President Donald Trump has praised American troops for doing “very well” in Iraq, maintaining his silence on an airstrike in Mosul that killed scores of civilians earlier this month.
Speaking to a group of senators gathered at the White House on Tuesday, Trump said “our soldiers are fighting like never before” in Iraq and the Arab country was on a positive trajectory in pushing back terrorist groups.
“The results are very, very good,” Trump said, fresh off a phone conversation with Secretary of Defense James Mattis. “I just wanted to let everyone know.”
The rare remarks, which appeared to be unscripted, were in contrast with Washington’s claims that its more than 5,000 troops stationed in Iraq do not partake in the battle against terrorist groups and only provide logistic support to Iraqi forces.
The US combat mission in Iraq ended in 2010, when former president Barack Obama ordered almost all US troops to withdraw from the Arab…