The US combat troops in Iraq have left the country, seven years after invading.

The 4^th Stryker Brigade and 2^nd Infantry Division crossed by land into Kuwait in the early hours of Thursday, according to a military spokesman.

About 50,000 troops will be in the in the country until 2011 to help advise Iraqi forces and protect US interests.

Another 6,000 support troops will be in the country until the end of the month when US combat operations officially end.

Stryker Brigade's people drove out of Iraq in an armored vehicle convoy.

The journey, they took them along hostile desert roads, was planned out for weeks.

"The last one crossed [into Kuwait] at around 0600 (0300 GMT) this morning," Lieutenant Colonel Eric Bloom said.

The US military kept embedded journalists away from reporting on movements until the convoy was almost to the border.

After getting over the border, American troops told journalists about their relief of getting out of Iraq.

"It's just a whole bunch of stress just off my shoulders, but it feels good to be in Kuwait, about to head home," Troy Danahy said.

"Best part of getting back to Kuwait? One, I know no one else will get hurt, and two, I'm going home," Timothy Berrenar said.

The spokesman for the State Department, PJ Crowley, said that the American involvement in Iraq was far from over, but it would be less intrusive and focused more in civilians.

"We are ending the war ... but we are not ending our work in Iraq. We have a long-term commitment to Iraq," he told MSNBC.

According to Mr Crowley, the US had a trillion dollar investment to protect in the country and wanted the honor the memory of the 4,415 Americans who lost their lives in the conflict.

At the peak of occupancy, America had 150,000 troops in Iraq.

The monitoring group, Iraq Body Count, put the number of civilian deaths since the start of the conflict between 97,196 and 106,071.

The 50,000 remaining soldiers will be armed, but will only fire in the case of self defense or at the request of the Iraqi government.