US troops will leave Iraq by the end of 2011 under a security pact with the US approved by the Iraqi cabinet on Sunday.

The arrangement, which needs to go before Iraq's parliament for a final vote, will see US troops withdraw from the streets of Iraqi towns next year and leaving Iraq altogether two years after that.

The agreement terms also include placing US forces in Iraq under the authority of the Iraqi government, US forces handing over their bases to Iraq during the course of 2009 and US forces losing the authority to raid Iraqi homes without an order from an Iraqi judge and permission of the government.

The United States currently has 150,000 troops stationed in Iraq.

The BBC reports that the security pact is required as the UN mandate validating the presence of the US military in Iraq expires at the end of this year.

America's National Security Council has welcomed the cabinet's vote, saying it was "an important and positive step" towards stability and security.

© NewsRoom 2008