Obama: Iraq combat mission to end by Aug. 2010

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The end date for Iraq war combat operations is slower than Obama had promised voters as a presidential candidate.

But it is still a hastened exit,which Obama says is a necessity... both for the future of Iraq... and to allow the US to refocus its attention more firmly on Afghanistan.

The US President applauded the military for its role in creating an improved situation in Iraq. He also emphasized the US policy of engaging with all the countries in the region.

Obama also noted, "It's time for Iraq to be a full partner in regional dialogue. And for Iraq's neighbors to establish productive and normalized relations with Iraq. And going forward, the United States will pursue principled and sustained engagement with all the nations in the region, and that, by the way, will include Iran and Syria."

The Iraq war helped fuel Obama's presidential bid. Polls show that most Americans think the war was a mistake.

More than 4-thousand US troops have died since the US invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein.

Editor:Liu Anqi