01 July,2009 09:02 AM IST | | Agencies
US President Barack Obama has described the completion of withdrawal of US combat troops from Iraqi cities as an 'important milestone'.
In brief remarks made at a White House event on Tuesday, he said the drawback meant that Iraq's future is now in the hands of its leaders and people.
"The Iraqis are rightly treating this day as a cause for celebration," Obama said.
Tuesday was the deadline for US troops to pull out of all Iraq's cities and towns according to an agreement reached last year between Washington and Baghdad.
Obama warned of tough times ahead in Iraq, noting a bombing earlier Tuesday in Kirkuk that killed at least 30 people.
He said the US would continue to support Iraq as it works to become a 'sovereign, stable, and self-reliant' country.
The US withdrawal was part of an agreement signed last year between former President George W Bush's administration and the Iraq leadership.
The agreement calls for all US forces to leave Iraq by the end of 2011.
