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Iraq sees hope of US troop withdrawal by 2010
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-07-22 00:03

Obama sees the battle against the resurgent Taliban and al-Qaida in Afghanistan as America's most crucial fight and supports expanding troop strength there to counter a sharp rise in attacks.

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But Obama had opposed the Iraq invasion and now worries that an open-ended US combat mission here will sap military resources and focus - at a time when Iraq violence has dropped to its lowest level in four years.

The Illinois senator - traveling with Sens. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Chuck Hagel, R-Neb. - arrived first in the southern city of Basra, the US Embassy said.

Basra is the center for about 4,000 British troops involved mostly in training Iraqi forces. An Iraqi-led offensive begun in March reclaimed control of most of the city from Shiite militia believed linked to Iran.

His meetings in Baghdad were expected to include the top US commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, and other military chiefs outlining the significant gains in recent months against both Shiite militia and Sunni insurgents including al-Qaida in Iraq.

The White House and military leaders - and many residents of Baghdad - trace the momentum back to last year's buildup of more than 30,000 troops in areas around Iraq's capital. McCain has tried to hammer Obama on his criticisms of that military surge.

In an interview Monday on ABC's "Good Morning America," McCain said he hoped Obama would now "have the opportunity to see the success of the surge."

"This is the same strategy that he voted against, railed against," McCain said. "He was wrong about the surge. It is succeeding and we are winning."

All five surge brigades have left Iraq, but there are still about 147,000 US soldiers in Iraq, more than in early 2007.