28 NOVEMBER 2003
The American President celebrated Thanksgiving dinner in a rather unlikely location on Thursday, when he jetted into Baghdad to share a turkey with his troops.

George Bush's surprise appearance was shrouded in secrecy as Secret Service bosses were deeply worried about security. American forces in Iraq have suffered a series of increasingly audacious attacks in recent weeks and, just a few days ago, a flight leaving Baghdad Airport was hit by a ground-to-air missile.

Mr Bush decided to push ahead with the plan, nonetheless, and Air Force One touched down yesterday with lights off and its windows blacked out. The White House meanwhile published a false story saying that the President would spend Thanksgiving with his family in Texas.

There were quite a few open mouths, therefore, when Mr Bush arrived in the mess hall where troops from the US Army's 1st Armoured Division were sitting down to celebrate the holiday. "I bring a message on behalf of America," he said as a loud cheer sounded around the hall. "We thank you for your service. We are proud of you and America stands solidly behind you. You are defending the American people from danger and we are grateful."

"I was just looking for a warm meal somewhere," continued the politician. "Thanks for inviting me to dinner – I can't think of a finer group of people to have Thanksgiving with than you all."