U.S. Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry says if he is elected president of the United States, he will pull all American combat troops out of Iraq by the end of his first term.

In an interview with the Associated Press Wednesday, Kerry pledged to bring U.S. troops home from Iraq with honor and with the interests of the United States properly protected.

Kerry also criticized President George W. Bush for damaging relations with allies, saying there is currently so much strain on those relationships that only a new U.S. president would be able to repair them.