Scott Morrison in Christmas visit to troops in Iraq

Scott Morrison has thanked Australian troops in Iraq “from one Australian to another” as he makes a Christmas visit | WATCH

Scott Morrison has visited Australian troops stationed in Iraq for Christmas in a secret trip to the Middle East.

The Prime Minister met with 800 troops in Iraq to thank them for their service ahead of the holidays. The Australian forces are training Iraqi troops to fight Islamic State.

He was also due to visit Afghanistan but the trip had to be cancelled because of security concerns.

“I understand it’s a sacrifice - I understand it’s a big thing to be away from your family at this time of year - and that’s why I’ve decided to come just to say thank you from one Australian to another,” he told troops at the Taji Military Complex north of a Baghdad.

“On behalf of my family, to you and your families, I want to say thank you very much for your service,” he told ADF members.

“But I also want to thank you as a prime minister, as the leader of the government, as a member of the Australian parliament, on behalf of our entire nation.

“For many it’ll be their first Christmas away from family on a rotation. For some it’s something they’ve done many, many times and they have their own special traditions that they’ve been able to work up with their families and their kids to try and still make sure it’s a special family time.

“But we wish them well and we thank them for what they do, particularly at this time of the year. Please remember our service men and women overseas.”

Scott Morrison visits Task Group Taji at Taji Military Complex in Iraq, Picture: AAP.

Nearly 300 of the 800 Australian troops are involved in Task Force Taji.

The rotating group has trained almost 40,000 Iraqi soldiers since its mission began in 2015.

Its focus has gradually shifted from delivering frontline training to mentoring Iraqi security forces.

Under their guidance, Iraqi supervisors now teach their own troops infantry skills such as cordoning, searching, ambushing and marksmanship.

Tens of thousands of Australian troops have served in the Middle East since 2001.

Scott Morrison with Colonel Jason Groat at Task Group Taji at Taji Military Complex. Picture: AAP.

Mr Morrison also met with his Iraqi counterpart Adil Abd Al-Mahdi to discuss the ongoing fight against Islamic State.

Australia has supplied $180 million to Iraq in aid between 2014 and 2020.

While Islamic State militants are largely suppressed in Iraq, the leaders did not canvass any significant reduction in the number of Australian troops or amount of aid.

Instead, they discussed how Australian aid could be better spent on reconstruction works and delivering essential services to all regions of Iraq.

The meeting comes as US President Donald Trump today declared victory against ISIS and a withdrawal of US troops from Syria.

Scott Morrison in talks with Adil Abdul-Mahdi. Picture: AAP.