U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday announced the end of combat operations in Iraq, saying the United States has met its responsibility, and "it is time to turn the page."

"Tonight, I am announcing that the American combat mission in Iraq has ended. Operation Iraqi Freedom is over, and the Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country," Obama said in an Oval Office address to the nation.

He said ending this war is not only in Iraq's interest, it is also in the Unites States' own, as the country has paid a huge price for the war.

"We have sent our young men and women to make enormous sacrifices in Iraq, and spent vast resources abroad at a time of tight budgets at home," Obama said.