Bush defends Iraq war five years on

By Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington

Published: March 19 2008 16:22 | Last updated: March 19 2008 23:09

President George W. Bush on Wednesday said he would only order further troop reductions in Iraq if it would not “jeopardise” the improvement in security that has occurred since the military “surge” took effect last year.

Speaking at the Pentagon on the fifth anniversary of the Iraq invasion, Mr Bush said the war had been “longer and harder and more costly than we anticipated”. He also warned that the security gains in Iraq were “fragile and reversible”.

“We have learned through hard experience what happens when we pull our forces back too fast,” said Mr Bush. “The terrorists and extremists step in, they fill vacuums, establish safe havens and use them to spread chaos and carnage. Any further drawdown must not jeopardize the hard-fought gains.”

Mr Bush last year sent a “surge” force of 30,000 combat troops to Iraq to counter the spiralling sectarian violence that threatened to propel the country into civil war. While almost 4,000 US troops have died in Iraq, the number of successful attacks on US forces has declined dramatically since the surge took full effect last June. The level of Iraqi deaths has also seen a large drop.

Mr Bush was speaking three weeks before General David Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, is scheduled to report to Congress on the situation in Iraq. Gen Petraeus is expected to recommend that the US pause any further troop reductions to reassess conditions this summer following the withdrawal of the five surge combat brigades, which would leave at least 130,000 troops in the country.

While Gen Petraeus wants to delay further troop reductions, Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the joint chiefs, General George Casey, the army chief of staff, and other senior military officials, are concerned about the impact long, repeated deployments are having on the military.

Gen Casey, who reportedly wants to reduce the number of combat brigades below the level of 15 that will remain after the surge, has warned about the risk of crossing an invisible red line beyond which the military would take a generation to repair.

Mr Bush on Wednesday credited the surge with having “opened the door to a major strategic victory in the broader war on terror”. While the military is concerned about insurgent groups in Iraq affiliated with Al-Qaeda, however, they are more concerned about areas along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan where al-Qaeda has been regrouping.

At a time when the US public has become more focused on the state of the domestic economy than the “war on terror”, Mr Bush warned about the possible economic consequences of allowing “enemies to prevail” in Iraq.

“The violence that is now declining would accelerate and Iraq would descend into chaos,” Mr Bush said. “Al Qaeda would regain its lost sanctuaries and establish new ones - fomenting violence and terror that could spread beyond Iraq’s borders, with serious consequences to the world economy.’’

Senator Barack Obama, one of the two contenders for the Democratic presidential nominee, on Wednesday acknowledged that violence had declined in Iraq, but repeated his vow to end the war should he become president.

“We need to finish the fight against al-Qaeda. That is what I will do,” said Mr Obama. “Fighting a war without end [in Iraq] will not force the Iraqis to take responsibility for their new future … I will end this war.”
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008

After 5 Years I still sit here and wonder how could so many Millions of People be so shallow and blinded by the fact: The Horrible Atrocities of 9/11, the Attack on America was brought on by Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban. Why has America (Her People) sat back for all of these years and not screamed at the top of our Lungs, Why in the Hell are we in Iraq? Why in the Hell is the Perpetrator of the 9/11 Devastation still running around? Why have we suffered such tremendous Loss in the Wake of the Iraq War? Why have we allowed ourselves to be continually led astray by our Fearless Leader? Fearless and our Leader are two words that definitely do not belong together. What has our Fearless Leader sacrificed for this which he has caused? Not a thing I say. Well, Fearless Leader I hope that at some point you will experience the long, deep, dark, sleepless nights that so many thousands and thousands of us have experienced as a result of your Decisions according to you and not in the People of Americas best interest.