Obama: End of Iraq combat mission not victory lap
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FORT BLISS, Texas -- President Barack Obama said the end of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq is not a time for a victory lap.
Speaking with troops in a dining hall on an Army base in El Paso, Texas, Obama said there is still much work to be done before Iraq can be an effective partner for the U.S. But he also said that Iraq has an opportunity to create a better future for itself.
Obama will formally announce the end of the combat mission Tuesday night in an Oval Office address to the nation. About 50,000 U.S. troops will remain there in a training and backup role.
Under an agreement signed by the two countries, all U.S. troops must be out of Iraq by 2011.