CHICAGO - PRESIDENT-ELECT Barack Obama on Monday said he would give Defence Secretary Robert Gates a 'new mission' to end the Iraq war and hand over control of the country to the Iraqis.

'I will be giving Secretary Gates and our military a new mission as soon as I take office, responsibly ending the war in Iraq through a successful transition to Iraqi control,' said Mr Obama, who is to be inaugurated January 20.

Speaking at a press conference at which he announced Mr Gates would carry on as defense chief and former first lady Hillary Clinton would be secretary of state, Mr Obama pledged to turn attention to the fight against Al-Qaeda and insurgents in Afghanistan.

'We will also ensure that we have the strategy and resources to succeed against Al-Qaeda and the Taleban,' Mr Obama said.

'As Bob (Gates) said not too long ago, Afghanistan is where the war on terror began, and it is where it must end. And going forward, we will continue to make the investments necessary to strengthen our military and increase our ground forces to defeat the threats of the 21st century.' -- AFP