The president spoke in the White House briefing room after holding a secure video conference with Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.  Obama said he and the Iraqi leader are in "full agreement about how to move forward.".

The U.S. has had a long-standing agreement to withdraw all combat troops from Iraq by the end of this year, but officials from both countries had discussed maintaining a U.S. residual force to train Iraqi forces.

But the United States eventually balked at maintaining a force because Iraq has refused to grant American troops legal immunity in Iraqi courts.