Donald Trump says Iraq pullout "marks the end of an excursion from hell"

At a White House event on Wednesday, President Donald Trump called the departure of American troops from Iraq a victory for the United States and for Iraq, saying it concluded a 23-year war. He also described the withdrawal as a win over ISIS/ISIL, a result he credited to his first administration. Trump said the conflict cost more than 4,500 U.S. service members’ lives and left 31,000 injured, some severely, plus hundreds of civilian contractors killed. According to Trump, he had instructed troops to take everything with them when they left. The remarks concerned the U.S. pullout from Iraq.