Withdrawal from Iraq on schedule: Obama

The security situation in Iraq is just "as usual," Yin said Monday.

Obama also said the US will maintain a transitional force in Iraq in the coming months and remove all of its troops by the end of 2011.

US forces will focus during this transitional period on supporting and training Iraqi forces, on counter-terrorism missions and on protecting US civilian and military initiatives, he added.

The transitional mission will be called Operation New Dawn.

He said there will be dangers in these tasks, and "the hard truth is we have not seen the end of American sacrifice in Iraq," according to Reuters.

"Indeed, US troops in Iraq haven't engaged in combat tasks for years, and all of the US bases are stationed in remote areas from downtown areas," Yin said. "But US forces are unlikely to completely withdraw from Iraq at the end of next year because they have to stay ready for another potential war in the region."

Agencies - Global Times