Washington - General Raymond Odierno begins his third stint in Iraq on Tuesday, when he takes over command of US forces there, hoping to build on the successes that have been gained under the troop surge.

Odierno has been credited with implementing the new strategy ordered by President George W Bush in January 2007, while serving as the deputy commander to General David Petraeus.

Petraeus is leaving the position to become the head of US Central Command, which runs military operations in the Middle East and South Asia, including Afghanistan.