Barack Obama says Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has expressed his support for a pullout of US troops by 2010.
The US Democratic presidential candidate, who is on a two-day trip to Iraq, also conceded he had not anticipated how well the US troop surge would work - in combination with local factors.
The subject is a key political flashpoint on the war with his Republican rival John McCain.
‘The prime minister said that now is an appropriate time to start to plan for the reorganisation of our troops in Iraq, including their numbers and missions,’ Mr Obama said in a statement released by his Senate office.
‘He stated his hope that US combat forces could be out of Iraq in 2010.’
Senator Obama, who is on an international tour to bolster his leadership credentials, has vowed to pull most combat troops out of Iraq within 16 months if elected, a timeline only slightly shorter than Mr Maliki's preferred date.
Republican candidate John McCain has criticised the idea of what he calls artificial timetables for a US withdrawal, and says a longer term presence is vital to preserving recent security gains.
Mr Obama met Mr Maliki and President Jalal Talabani in Baghdad after arriving yesterday.
Mr Obama was briefed by Mr Maliki on recent progress in achieving security and stability, according to an Iraqi government statement.
