WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President George W. Bush's spokeswoman said Tuesday that she did not know whether he would like to return to Iraq before leaving office in January.

"One of the things that he'll want to do as he works on this last six months is to make sure he's in touch with the troops as much as possible. But I don't know about any trip," Dana Perino told reporters.

She had been asked whether Bush, who was last in Iraq in September 2007, would like to see the strife-torn country before his term ends.

"I don't know," said Perino. "We'll let you know if there's any update, but I wouldn't expect one soon."

Bush's three visits, starting with his Thanksgiving Day stop in 2003, have been shrouded in secret because of security fears following the March 2003 US-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein.

The US president paid a surprise trip to Afghanistan in early 2006, and has visited 49 of the 50 US states -- not having set foot in the small northeastern state of Vermont -- since he took office in January 2001.

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