The story

Sen. Barack Obama said Tuesday that he was pleased with the reduction of violence in Iraq since the deployment of more U.S. troops but added that it was a result of several factors, not just the "surge."

"We don't know what would have happened if the plan that I preferred in January 2007 -- to put more pressure on the Iraqis to arrive at a political reconciliation, to begin a phased withdrawal -- what would have happened had we pursued that strategy," Obama said after landing in Amman, Jordan.

"I am pleased that as a consequence of great effort by our troops -- but also as a consequence of a shift in allegiances among the Sunni tribal leaders as well as the decision of the Sadr militias to stand down -- that we've seen a quelling of violence," he said. Read full article »

CNN's Hala Gorani, Jomana Karadsheh, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Frederik Pleitgen and Alexander Mooney contributed to this report.

All About Barack Obama • Amman (Jordan) • Iraq • Anbar Province