U.S. President-elect Barack Obama reiterated on Monday his plan to withdraw U.S. combat forces from Iraq in the first 16 month after he takes office.
Obama told a press conference in his transition office headquarters in Chicago, Illinois, that he still believes 16 months is the "right time frame" to redeploy U.S. combat troops from Iraq.
He reiterated the timetable that he has been insisting during his campaign as he present to public his national security team.
The president-elect also underscored the importance to make sure that American troops are safe during transition period and Iraqi military can take more security responsibilities.
When announcing his choice of retaining Robert Gates as the Pentagon chief, Obama said that Afghanistan is where the war on terror began and should be where it must be ended.
"We will continue to make the investments necessary to strengthen our military and increase our ground forces to defeat the threats of the 21st century," he said.
According to a U.S.-Iraq pact, titled the Status of Forces Agreement, the U.S. troops will withdraw from Iraq's cities, towns and villages by June 30 next year to their bases and will leave the country on Dec. 31, 2011.