President Barack Obama meets with Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. -AP Photo

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama is declaring that US troops are leaving Iraq this month ''with honor and with their heads held high.'' Obama calls this a ''historic moment'' as the war in Iraq is ending after nearly nine years.

Obama spoke at a news conference Monday with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. All US troops are scheduled to withdraw from Iraq by Dec. 31.

The president says the US leaves behind a sovereign and self-reliant Iraq. He says the removal of troops begins a new chapter in the relationship between the two countries.

Obama tells al-Maliki that Iraq will not stand alone as it faces its future. He says Iraq has an enduring partner in the United States.