On a trip shrouded in secrecy, US President Barack Obama flew into Iraq yesterday for a brief inspection of a war he opposed as a candidate and now vows to end as commander in chief.

His gleaming white and blue Air Force One touched down hours after a car bomb exploded in a Shi'ite neighborhood of the capital city, a deadly reminder of the violence that has claimed the lives at least 4,266 members of the US military and thousands more Iraqis since March 2003.

Obama's visit came at the conclusion of a long overseas trip that included economic and NATO summits in Europe and two days in Turkey.