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US troops to be fully out of Iraq by 2011
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-02-27 22:24

WASHINGTON -- US President Barack Obama will announce on Friday a complete pullout of American troops from Iraq by 2011, news agencies reported.

US President Barack Obama (L) makes a statement about the Fiscal Year 2010 budget as Vice President Joe Biden listens in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, February 26, 2009. [Agencies]

The president also will say the current combat mission in Iraq will end on August 31, 2010, a senior official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

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Obama was to make the announcement at Camp Lejeune, a Marine Corps base in North Carolina.

The official said that about 35,000 to 50,000 troops will remain in Iraq after August, 2010 to help train Iraqi forces, protect civilian reconstruction projects and conduct limited counterterrorism operations.

There are 142,000 American troops now stationed in Iraq.

The United States signed a security pact with Iraq that says Dec. 31 2011, would be a deadline for all US forces to leave.

Obama, who opposed the US-led Iraq War, pledged during his presidential campaign that he would withdraw American troops from the volatile country.

The withdrawal plan, which was drawn up after consultations with Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen, is in keeping with the president's strategic vision, the official said.

On his first full day in office, Obama ordered military commanders to bring forward a plan to end US military operations in Iraq.

The unpopular war, launched by former US President George W. Bush, has cost the lives of about 4,250 US soldiers and huge financial resources. It also severely damaged the US image in the world.

In contrast with Iraq, Obama will increase combat troops in Afghanistan, where Taliban militants are showing a strong resurgence.