Washington: Crossing the threshold of 2,000 American military deaths in Iraq today added to the pressure on President George W Bush to show progress in Iraq amid waning public support for the war.
Bush launched the Iraq war in 2003 hoping for a quick victory with minimal casualties.
The Iraqi army was quickly defeated and, when confronted by early attacks by militants, Bush was initially defiant, declaring: ''Bring 'em on!''
But within months the attacks grew in intensity, bogging down the US force of more than 100,000 troops, aircraft and armor and delaying plans for rapid reconstruction of the shattered country.
No change in strategy appeared likely as a result of the new death toll, and Bush said the best way to honour the fallen was to ''complete the mission and lay the foundation of peace by spreading freedom.''
Bush was already in political trouble over Iraq, the slow federal response to Hurricane Katrina and soaring gasoline prices.
These problems and others have pushed his job approval rating to the lowest of his presidency.
Iraqis to take over fight
Bush, who says it is essential to make progress on Iraq's political process to undermine the insurgency, saw some grounds for hope when millions of Iraqis turned out to vote on a new constitution that was ratified on Tuesday.
''Iraqis are making inspiring progress toward building a democracy,'' Bush said.
Public support for the war has eroded sharply and many Americans want to see US troops brought home, a view dramatized in August by protester Cindy Sheehan in her weeks-long vigil outside the Bush ranch in Texas.
Sheehan's son, Casey, was killed in Iraq.
US officials say political progress and the training of Iraqi security forces are prerequisites for a US withdrawal.
''I grieve for every death,'' Bush said at his ranch on August 11 during Sheehan's protest.
''It breaks my heart to think about a family weeping over the loss of a loved one. I understand the anguish that some feel about the death that takes place.''
But, he said, ''pulling the troops out would send a terrible signal to the enemy.''
While US officials cite the growing capabilities of the Iraqi security forces, there are nagging questions about how well prepared they are for combat and how much they have been infiltrated by insurgents.
Comments
0 comment