The top commander of US-led war in Iraq has told US President George W. Bush today that major combat operations were over, the White House said.
The assessment, which was delivered to Mr Bush yesterday by General Tommy Franks, sets the stage for a speech by Mr Bush to the nation tomorrow evening declaring an end to large-scale combat, but the speech will not signal a formal end to hostilities, White House spokesman Mr Ari Fleischer said.
What the president will talk about is, "major combat operations have ended," Mr Fleischer told reporters.