US President George W Bush has arrived at a desert military base in western Iraq for a surprise visit with Iraqi leaders and US commanders.
The White House said he was accompanied by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, and other senior aides.
He is due to meet Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and other top officials on this his first visit to Iraq since June 2006.
Mr Bush's visit comes a week before top officials in Iraq present pivotal reports to Congress on the country's security and political situation.
The testimony to be delivered on 10 September by commander, General David Petraeus, could influence future White House policy on the more than four-year-old war.
Meanwhile, British forces have completed their withdrawal from the southern Iraqi city of Basra and are in the process of handing it over to the Iraqi army.
British troops began their withdrawal from Basra Palace at 11pm last night.
The Iraqi army has now taken over responsibility and the area is off-limits.
It said British forces would retain overall security responsibility for Basra until the handover to provincial Iraqi control, expected towards the end of the year.
