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Obama to deliver Iraq address next Tuesday night

By the CNN Wire Staff
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • NEW: Obama will visit Fort Bliss prior to delivering the speech
  • Obama will deliver an Oval Office speech on Iraq next Tuesday evening
  • The speech will be delivered at the end of America's combat mission in Iraq
  • All U.S. troops are slated to leave Iraq by the end of 2011

Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama will deliver a major address on Iraq from the Oval Office next Tuesday night, according to the White House.

The speech, to be delivered at 8 p.m. ET, will last approximately 15 minutes. Obama's remarks also will touch on Afghanistan and the broader war against terrorism, the White House said.

Obama will visit Fort Bliss Army base in El Paso, Texas, prior to delivering the address, it said.

The speech is timed to coincide with the official end of the U.S. military's combat mission in Iraq. The total number of U.S. troops in Iraq has now fallen below 50,000 -- the lowest level since the U.S-led invasion in 2003. The remaining American troops will train, assist and advise the Iraqis.

All American troops are scheduled to pull out at the end of 2011, though the Iraqi government could request that some of them remain.

Obama has delivered one previous Oval Office address, to signify the gravity of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in early June.