United States soldiers board a plane at Baghdad International Airport in July to start their trip home
He said the mission in Iraq is changing from a military effort led by troops to a civilian effort led by diplomats.
Violence in Iraq has decreased over the last three years. But there are still bombings and shootings daily. Insurgents often target the Iraqi army and police.
Around fifty thousand American troops will remain in Iraq. They will train Iraqi soldiers and support counterterrorism operations. They will also protect the civilian efforts.
The goal is for all troops to leave Iraq by the end of next year.
President Obama also wants to begin a withdrawal from Afghanistan next July. He is sending more troops for now, though.
But this week, Mr. Obama could report apparent success in a different sort of battle -- against the largest accidental oil spill ever at sea.
BARACK OBAMA: "So the long battle to stop the leak and contain the oil is finally close to coming to an end."
A worker involved in the "static kill" operation this week
The BP company pumped heavy drilling fluids, known as mud, into the top of its damaged well in the Gulf of Mexico. The process is called a static kill. Workers later added cement to harden in the well to seal it permanently.
As a final step there are plans to pump in mud and cement from below through relief wells. That could happen later this month.
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2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25