Gates Says Likely Farewell to US Troops in Iraq

BAGHDAD (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is telling troops in Iraq that his visit this week probably will be his last as Pentagon chief.

Gates was giving a pep talk Thursday to soldiers of the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division at a base just outside Baghdad. During the unit's deployment to Iraq in 2007, more than 100 of its soldiers were killed in action.

Gates has said he intends to step down as defense secretary sometime this year, but he has not named a specific date.