Iraq wants US troop withdrawal by 2010

The Iraqi government says it hopes to have US combat troops out of the country by 2010, suggesting a clear deadline after Baghdad and Washington agreed on a vague "time horizon."

The silhouette of a US soldier appears on a wall as the sun rises during a patrol in Baquba, in March 2008. The White House said Monday that a planned US-Iraq long-term strategic agreement will not include a specific date for a withdrawal of US combat troops.(AFP)

US Democratic presidential candidate Barak Obama made a stopover in Iraq on a fact-finding mission. Obama met Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki and also President Jalal Talabani.

Meanwhile, US leader George W. Bush opposes a specific timetable for any troop pullout. But Iraq is ratcheting up calls for a timeline.

Obama has promised that, if elected, he will withdraw US soldiers from Iraq within 16 months.