US ends combat missions in Iraq

President Barack Obama has declared the US combat mission in Iraq officially over in a move likely to be welcomed by Americans.

Obama, in an address from the Oval Office, is to make the case that the removal of all but 50,000 US troops and the end of the combat phase shows he has carried out a key promise of his 2008 presidential campaign.

Obama visited the US Army base at Fort Bliss, Texas, to celebrate the milestone but stressed his Oval Office speech should not be seen as a "victory lap".

"It's not going to be self-congratulatory. There's still a lot of work that we've got to do to make sure that Iraq is an effective partner with us," Obama said.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi Government has issued a warning to neighbouring countries thinking they can fill the vacuum once US troops withdraw.

Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said: "The only people who will fill that vacuum are the Iraqis themselves."