US Vice President Joe Biden has visited Iraq to mark the end of US combat operations.
He addressed a handover ceremony in Baghdad a day after President Barack Obama declared an end to the seven-year combat mission in the country.
The US is ending its combat role at a time when political tensions in Iraq are running high. Six months after an inconclusive election, major parties have yet to agree on the shape of a coalition government.
Mr Biden said he believed Iraqis were close to forming a new government, saying he had been speaking with all of Iraq's main leaders and believed there were good chances of a deal being struck soon.
He added; "I'm absolutely convinced that they are nearing the ability of forming a government, that will be a government representing the outcome of the election which was very much divided.
"There's always a possibility long term if this goes on of creating a (power) vacuum, but the truth of the matter is violence is the lowest level it's been since we arrived in 2003."
