US President Obama arrives in Iraq in surprise detour after Turkey visit

Obama told reporters he came to Iraq for face-to-face meetings and to get a better sense of the security situation.

"We spent a lot of time trying to get Afghanistan right (but) there's still a lot of work to be done here,” he was quoted by Reuters as saying.

Obama said one major reason for his visit was to thank the troops. "They are doing extraordinary work. General Odierno has been helping to lead a very effective operation here."

He spoke with General Ray Odierno, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, sitting at his side.

In an earlier announcement, the White House had said that Obama would meet U.S. commanders and troops, and speak to Iraqi leaders by telephone.

Flying secretly from Istanbul at the end of his first major international tour, Obama was to visit the scene of a war that he inherited from his predecessor, George W. Bush. It was Obama's first visit to Iraq since before his November 2008 election victory, which was bolstered by his campaign pledge to start bringing U.S. troops home.

Asked why Obama had come to Iraq, Gibbs said "there are several important reasons, not the least of which is to see and spend some time with the men and women who are serving our country honorably here."

Much of the traveling press who accompanied Obama to Europe was kept in the dark. But the Iraq visit was a badly-kept secret, with government ministers in Baghdad sparking speculation about it several days before he left the U.S. a week ago.

Photo: AP.