Trump: US departure from Iraq marks end of ‘excursion from hell’

Trump: US departure from Iraq marks end of ‘excursion from hell’

US President Donald Trump has called the departure of American forces from Iraq “a victory for the United States” and said it “marks the end of an excursion from hell”.

Speaking at a White House event on Wednesday, Trump said “it’s a victory for Iraq and a decisive victory over ISIS [ISIL], which has been completely decimated,” claiming responsibility for having “took them out in my first administration.”

“We’ve been in that war for 23 years, lost more than 4,500 great American soldiers and 31,000 injured, some very badly. Plus, hundreds of civilian contractors were killed,” Trump added.

He said that he left instructions to troops to leave nothing behind, saying "I want every screw taken".