President Bush arrived at an air base west of Baghdad Monday on an unannounced visit, the White House said.

He plans to meet face-to-face with top military commanders, the U.S. ambassador, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and provincial tribal leaders. It is the president's third trip to Iraq.

Air Force One touched down under the blazing sun at Asad air base in Anbar province. The White House said the base was chosen because of the "remarkable turnaround" in the province.

Bush has hailed Anbar — a Sunni province west of Baghdad — as a success, citing the U.S. military's alliance with tribal leaders in fighting al Qaeda in Iraq.

The president stopped in Iraq en route to an economic summit in Australia and ahead of a briefing in Washington September 15 by the top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker.