Mullen, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, flew into Contingency Operating Base Adder, 10 kilometres (six miles) outside the city of Nasiriyah, in the afternoon.

After meeting US commanders, he held hour-long talks at the base with the heads of provincial reconstruction teams in Dhi Qar, Muthanna and Maysan. Also present were provincial police chiefs and judges.

"My meetings here also emphasised the work that still needs to be done, and that work would focus on Iraq even becoming more stable," Mullen later told a news conference.

"The drawdown plan is still in place and my expectation is it will start after the election," he said of legislative polls due on March 7.

Although the United States still has 115,000 soldiers stationed in Iraq, it is planned to reduce this number to 50,000 by the end of next August ahead of a full withdrawal of all forces by the end of 2011.

Mullen also offered condolences over a spate of recent deadly bombings that rocked Baghdad.

"I certainly want to express my condolences for the recent loss of life and serious violence in Baghdad," he said.

"We're very focused, both on the Iraqi leadership as well as the American leadership, on these violent, explosive and tragic events," he added.

Suicide attacks on the foreign and finance ministries killed 106 people on August 19.

Less than two months later, on October 25, the justice ministry and provincial offices were hit in blasts that killed 153. Five attacks on December 8 killed 127 people.

"At the heart of this is really Al-Qaeda, still at work in Iraq," Mullen said of the Baghdad attacks, adding that he was "encouraged... there has been no response and outbreak of sectarian violence."

The defence ministry in Baghdad said the Iraqi army has been put on alert because of threats against the country's Christian minority over Christmas, however.

On Thursday, a Christian was shot dead in Mosul, two days after bombers targeted two churches in the northern city, killing a baby and wounding at least 40 people.

Mullen also said Washington was helping the Iraqi government probe the Baghdad bombings.

"Where we can, we're assisting in all possible ways to help provide information about the source of these attacks," he said.

He acknowledged there had been "remarkable progress" since his last visit, but warned of "challenges" ahead.

"I don't underestimate the challenges. I think everybody needs to be focused on this, particularly as elections approach, so that the elections can be secure, and free and fair and representative of the democracy that Iraq has become."

Meanwhile Kournikova and Cyrus, on a pre-Christmas trip organised by the United Service Organisations (USO) that arranges entertainment for US servicemen and women, met the troops.

Several hundred soldiers gathered at the base's memorial hall where Kournikova, Cyrus and other celebrities addressed them, signed autographs and posed for pictures.

Although Kournikova is Russian, the USO often invites non-US citizens who are well-known in the United States to spend time with troops.

Soldiers queued for hours to meet and be photographed with the Russian tennis player turned model, who was forced by injury to withdraw from the professional tour.

"I've been waiting for like five hours, so yeah, it feels great," said Sergeant Ryan Rudd, 26, from Boston, Massachusetts, after being photographed with the tall blonde.

"They told me yesterday that I'd get to meet her. It does boost morale, yes, because everyone on the base gets talking about how there's a celebrity coming here.

"And especially around the holidays, it feels good that these people have taken the time to come and meet with us," he told AFP as troops prepared to be away from loved ones over the holiday.

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