Article snippet: caught flak Saturday after using the phrase "mission accomplished," which gained notoriety after former President George W. Bush gave a 2003 speech to declare the end of major U.S. combat operations in Iraq with a banner featuring the phrase displayed behind him. Despite the declaration, the U.S. military has stayed involved in Iraq to this day. "I didn’t think I could be shocked by a tweet anymore but 'mission accomplished' was so surprising I had to double check that it was not a spoof," Sen. MORE (D-Hawaii) tweeted Saturday. Trump announced late Friday during a televised address at the White House that he had ordered "precision strikes" on targets in Syria associated with the government of Syrian leader Bashar Assad. The strikes targeted three sites near the capital of Damascus and in Homs, roughly 100 miles north. U.S. defense officials on Saturday said they were still conducting a detailed assessment of the effectiveness of the strikes but characterized them as a success. "I’d use three words to describe this operation: precise, overwhelming and effective," said Marine Lt. Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., director of the Joint Staff. McKenzie asserted that the U.S.-led strikes had set the Syrian government’s chemical weapons program back “years.” Syria launched 40 surface-to-air missiles against the strikes, McKenzie said, adding Syria's missiles were “largely ineffective” and most were launched after the strikes from the U.S., U.K. and France took place. McKen... Link to the full article to read more