Barack Obama wants US role in Iraq to end

Barack Obama, the Democratic contender for the US presidency, has said his main priority as US president will be to end the US involvement in Iraq. In a foreign policy speech, Senator Obama said "our single-minded and open-ended focus on Iraq is not a sound strategy for keeping America safe". His second priority would be to take the war to al-Qaeda and the Taleban in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
His Republican rival accused Mr Obama of contradicting himself over Iraq. John McCain said the US "surge" of Iraqi troops in Iraq was working - and he knew "how to win wars". He said he would bring al-Qaeda's leader, Osama Bin Laden, to justice. Earlier, President George W Bush rejected any "artificial" timetable for withdrawing US troops, saying a decision must be made "as conditions permit". Mr Obama's speech comes ahead of a tour that will include Iraq and Afghanistan, the dates of which have not been disclosed for security reasons.