Announced today by Prime Minister Gordon Brown:

Britain’s six-year occupation of southern Iraq will end by the summer, Gordon Brown announced today on a surprise visit to Baghdad.

A joint statement by the prime minister and his Iraqi counterpart, Nuri al-Maliki, said: “The role played by the UK combat forces is drawing to a close. These forces will have completed their task in the first half of 2009 and will then leave Iraq.”

Your turn, Mr. Obama.