Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al- Maliki on Tuesday left Baghdad on an official visit to the United States for talks over arming the Iraqi army, bilateral ties and developments in the region.

"The most important thing is to provide Iraq with weapons of an offensive nature to fight terrorism and hunt down the armed groups, " Maliki said in a brief press conference in Baghdad airport before his departure.

A statement from Maliki's office said that during his five-day visit Maliki will meet with US President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and other top officials, and he will discuss ways to enhance bilateral ties and promote cooperation in accordance with the Strategic Framework Agreement (SFA) which was signed earlier between the two countries, the statement said.

Maliki said that he will discuss means of strengthening security and stability and combating terrorism, as well as developments in the region, the statement said.

It said that Maliki is heading a delegation that includes the Minister of Foreign Affairs Hoshyar Zebari, Acting Minister of Defense Saadoun al-Dulaimi and a number of lawmakers and advisors.