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PRESIDENT BUSH ON PROGRESS IN IRAQ
Weekly Radio Address By President Bush
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THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This week I traveled to Kansas City to address the annual convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. I spoke about the ideological struggle that our Nation faces in the 21st century, and the lessons we can draw from the advance of freedom in Asia in the 20th century. America's enduring presence and perseverance on that continent aided the rise of democracy, helped transform American enemies into American allies, and made our country safer.
Next week I will address the members of the American Legion at their annual convention in Reno. In that speech, I will focus on the Middle East and why the rise of a free and democratic Iraq is critical to the future of this vital region and to our Nation's security.
I will also provide an update on the developments we are seeing from our new strategy in Iraq. Every month since January, U.S. forces have killed or captured an average of more than 1,500 al Qaeda terrorists and other extremists. And in June our troops launched a surge of operations that is helping bring former Sunni insurgents into the fight against al Qaeda, clear the terrorists out of population centers, and give families in liberated Iraqi cities a safer and more normal life.
As security improves, more Iraqis are stepping forward to defend their democracy. Young Iraqi men are signing up for the army. Iraqi police are now patrolling the streets. Coalition and Iraqi forces have doubled the number of joint operations. As the Iraqi people feel more secure, they are also forming neighborhood watch groups. They're volunteering important information about the terrorists and extremists hiding in their midst. And the increase in tips helps account for the marked reduction in sectarian murders.
By driving out the terrorists from cities and neighborhoods, we're creating the conditions for reconciliation -- especially at the local level. In communities across Iraq, citizens are seeing their local and provincial governments return to operation. Despite continuing violence, leaders in places like Anbar, Najaf, and Ninewah are now working through local provincial councils to approve funds to finance the rebuilding of homes and neighborhoods, to fight corruption, and to create new jobs.
Here at home, it can be easy to overlook the bravery shown by Iraqi troops and Iraqi civilians who are in the fight for freedom. But our troops on the ground see it every day. Last week, a team of American soldiers was meeting with an Iraqi citizens group near Baghdad. Suddenly, a suicide bomber came running around a corner and headed straight for our soldiers and the Iraqi civilians.
One Iraqi man saw what was happening and ran to intercept the bomber. As he pushed the terrorist away, the bomb detonated -- killing both men, but sparing four American soldiers and eight Iraqi civilians. Army Staff Sergeant Sean Kane is one of those who says he owes his life to this brave Iraqi. Sergeant Kane says, "He could have run behind us or away from us, but he made the decision to sacrifice himself to protect everyone." Sergeant Kane spoke to the Iraqi man's father, who said that even if his son had known the outcome beforehand, he "[would not] have acted differently."
The story does not end there. Later that same night, the citizens group contacted the local director of the National Police and told him the location of the al Qaeda cell believed to be responsible for the attack. The National Police immediately conducted a raid that resulted in four arrests.
We are still in the early stages of our new operations. But the success of the past couple of months have shown that conditions on the ground can change -- and they are changing. We cannot expect the new strategy we are carrying out to bring success overnight. But by standing with the Iraqi people as they build their democracy, we will deliver a devastating blow to al Qaeda, we will help provide new hope for millions of people throughout the Middle East, we will gain a friend and ally in the war on terror, and we will make the American people safer.
Thank you for listening.
Other Recent Remarks by President Bush
July 24, 2007 - President Bush addresses military personnel at Charleston Air Force Base, thanking them and their famlilies for their service.
"The facts are that al Qaeda terrorists killed Americans on 9/11, they are fighting us in Iraq and across the world, and they are plotting to kill Americans here at home again. Those who justify withdrawing our troops from Iraq by denying the threat of al Qaeda in Iraq and its ties to Osama bin Laden ignore the clear consequences of such a retreat. If we were to follow their advice, it would be dangerous for the world and disastrous for America. We will defeat al Qaeda in Iraq." - President George W. Bush, 7/24/07
To view a full transcript of the President's remarks, click here.
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"We Are Fighting Bin Laden's Al Qaeda In Iraq ... And Against This Enemy, America Can Accept Nothing Less Than Complete Victory"
President Bush: "Al Qaeda is public enemy number one for the Iraqi people. Al Qaeda is public enemy number one for the American people. And that is why for the security of our country we will stay on the hunt, we'll deny them safe haven, and we will defeat them where they have made their stand." (President George W. Bush, Remarks To Military Personnel At Charleston Air Force Base, Charleston, SC, 7/24/07)
- "There's a good reason they are called al Qaeda in Iraq: They are al Qaeda - in Iraq." "Al Qaeda in Iraq is a group founded by foreign terrorists, led largely by foreign terrorists, and loyal to a foreign terrorist leader - Osama bin Laden. They know they're al Qaeda. The Iraqi people know they are al Qaeda. People across the Muslim world know they are al Qaeda."
- "Yet despite all the evidence, some will tell you that al Qaeda in Iraq is not really al Qaeda and not really a threat to America." "That's like watching a man walk into a bank with a mask and a gun and saying he's probably just there to cash a check."
"Our Intelligence Community Assesses That Al Qaeda In Iraq ... [Is] A Full Member Of The Al Qaeda Terrorist Network"
President Bush: "[M]ost important, for the people who wonder if the fight in Iraq is worth it, al Qaeda in Iraq shares Osama bin Laden's goal of making Iraq a base for its radical Islamic empire and using it as a safe haven for attacks on America." "This is why our intelligence community reports - and I quote - 'compared with [other leading Sunni jihadist groups], al Qaeda in Iraq stands out for its extremism, unmatched operational strength, foreign leadership, and determination to take the jihad beyond Iraq's borders.'"
- "Al Qaeda in Iraq was founded by a Jordanian terrorist, not an Iraqi. His name was Abu Musab al-Zarqawi." "Before 9/11, he ran a terrorist camp in Afghanistan. He was not yet a member of al Qaeda, but our intelligence community reports that he had longstanding relations with senior al Qaeda leaders, that he had met with Osama bin Laden and his chief deputy, Zawahiri."
- "In 2004, Zarqawi and his terrorist group [formally] joined al Qaeda, pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden, and ... promised to 'follow his orders in jihad.'" "It's hard to argue that al Qaeda in Iraq is separate from bin Laden's al Qaeda when the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq took an oath of allegiance to Osama bin Laden."
- "According to our intelligence community, the Zarqawi-bin Laden merger gave Al Qaeda in Iraq, quote, 'prestige among potential recruits and financiers.'" "The merger also gave al Qaeda's senior leadership, quote, 'a foothold in Iraq to extend its geographic presence, to plot external operations, and to tout the centrality of the jihad in Iraq to solicit direct monetary support elsewhere.'"
- "Zarqawi was killed by U.S. forces in June 2006. He was replaced by another foreigner, an Egyptian named Abu Ayyub al-Masri. His ties to the al Qaeda senior leadership are deep and longstanding." "He's collaborated with Zawahiri for more than two decades. And before 9/11, he spent time with al Qaeda in Afghanistan, where he taught classes indoctrinating others in al Qaeda's radical ideology."
- "According to our intelligence community, many of al Qaeda in Iraq's other senior leaders are also foreign terrorists." "They include a Syrian who is al Qaeda in Iraq's emir in Baghdad, a Saudi who is al Qaeda in Iraq's top spiritual and legal adviser, an Egyptian who fought in Afghanistan in the 1990s and who has met with Osama bin Laden, a Tunisian who we believe plays a key role in managing foreign fighters."
"Our Action To Remove Saddam Hussein Did Not Start The Terrorist Violence - And American Withdrawal From Iraq Would Not End It"
President Bush: "Iraq's not the reason that the terrorists are at war with us." "We were not in Iraq when the terrorists bombed the World Trade Center in 1993. We were not in Iraq when they attacked our Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. We were not in Iraq when they attacked the USS Cole in 2000. And we were not in Iraq on September the 11th, 2001."
- "If we were not fighting these al Qaeda extremists and terrorists in Iraq ... Most would be trying to kill Americans and other civilians elsewhere." "The al Qaeda terrorists now blowing themselves up in Iraq are dedicated extremists who have made killing the innocent the calling of their lives. ... If we were not fighting these al Qaeda extremists and terrorists in Iraq, they would not be leading productive lives of service and charity."
"However Difficult The Fight Is In Iraq, We Must Win It. And We Can Win It."
President Bush: "For the security of our citizens, and the peace of the world, we must give General Petraeus and his troops the time and the resources they need so they can defeat al Qaeda in Iraq."
- "Surrendering the future of Iraq to al Qaeda would be a disaster for our country." "We have already seen how al Qaeda used a failed state thousands of miles from our shores to bring death and destruction to the streets of our cities, and we must not allow them to do so again."
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