Barack Obama arrives in Iraq

Presumptive U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama arrived in Iraq on Monday for talks with Iraqi officials and American military commanders in a 5-year-old war he has pledged to end, a U.S. Embassy spokesman said.

The trip to Iraq is Obama's second after a visit in 2006 and follows a Saturday stop in Afghanistan, part of a closely watched overseas trip for the Illinois senator that will include other stops in the Middle East in Europe.

Obama has said that if elected, he would order the military to end the war in Iraq and commit more troops to Afghanistan.

Accompanying Obama is Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, a leading Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, a Republican member of the Foreign Relations Committee and an outspoken critic of the Iraq war.

"The senators have a busy day ahead of them, as they meet with senior Iraqi officials, coalition leadership and officials from the U.S. Embassy," Embassy spokesman Armand Cucciniello said.

They also plan to meet with troops from their home states and U.S. civilians working in Iraq, Cucciniello said.

A U.S. Embassy official said Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama arrived in Iraq on Monday where he will meet with commanders and troops in a war he has long opposed.

Obama was expected to meet Gen. David Petraeus as well as Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki while in the country, although aides provided few details, citing security concerns.

Obama arrived as part of a congressional delegation that also included Sens. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., following stops in Kuwait and Afghanistan. The delegation met Sunday in Kuwait City with Kuwait's emir, Sheik Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah, and other senior officials, the Kuwait News Agency reported.