Bush makes final visit to Iraq
George Bush makes surprise farewell visit to Iraq
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Sunday, 14, Dec 2008 08:31
United States president George Bush made a surprise farewell visit to Iraq on Sunday, five weeks before he hands over the presidency to Barack Obama.
Mr Bush met with Iraqi president Jalal Talabani at the beginning of his fourth and final visit to the country during his presidency since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein's regime.
The president also met with prime minister Nuri al-Maliki and the two leaders are due to sign a pact marking the adoption of an agreement that will see the withdrawal of all US troops from Iraq by the end of 2011.
During an appearance with the Iraqi PM, a man threw his shoes at Mr Bush this afternoon and had to be dragged away by secuirty officials.
The White House said that during his visit Mr Bush would meet and thank US troops serving there as well as talking with various Iraqi leaders.
The unannounced trip comes shortly after US defence secretary Robert Gates visited the country and told troops that the Iraq mission was the States' "endgame".
Mr Bush admitted in a recent television interview that his greatest regret during his time in the White House was the false intelligence that suggested Iraq held weapons of mass destruction – a key justification for the original invasion.