Bush’s push to sell war puts hopes on Iraqi troops

By Caren Bohan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President George W. Bush, in his
latest push to counter rising opposition to the Iraq war as it
nears its third anniversary, said on Saturday he believes the
country can avoid an all-out civil war because of the increased
capability of Iraqi troops.

Bush said in his weekly radio address his aim was to have
Iraqi forces patrol more turf than U.S. forces by year-end.

But faced with polls showing the war is increasingly
unpopular, he said he understood why many Americans wonder if
the Iraq conflict was worth it.

“The security of our country is directly linked to the
liberty of the Iraqi people,” he said. “This will require more
difficult days of fighting and sacrifice, yet I am confident
that our strategy will result in victory.”

He spoke a day after the body of kidnapped U.S. peace
activist Tom Fox was discovered bearing signs of torture. More
than 200 foreigners and thousands of Iraqis have been kidnapped
since the March 2003 U.S.-led invasion. U.S. military deaths
have totaled more than 2,300.

With this month marking the invasion’s third anniversary,
Bush is planning a series of events to call for patience.

Discontent with the war is a major factor in Bush’s
slumping approval ratings, which are mired below 40 percent.

Bush has refused to set a deadline for withdrawing troops
from Iraq. But he said he saw hopeful signs in the response of
the Iraqi security forces to sectarian violence following the
February 22 bombing of a major Shi’ite shrine.

“The effective performance of the Iraqi security forces
during this crisis showed that our hard work to build up and
train these forces is paying off,” Bush said.

MORE RESPONSIBILITY

“In the coming months, we will help prepare more Iraqi
battalions to take the lead in battle and Iraqi forces will
assume responsibility over more territory,” he said.

Reprisal attacks following the bombing of the Golden Mosque
have killed hundreds.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Bush said he thought
things were calming down, despite many people’s fears that an
all-out civil war might develop.

“Some have called it a civil war. But it didn’t work,” he
said.

Bush said when Iraqi forces take on control of more of the
country, U.S. forces will spend more time looking for al Qaeda
militants.

“Our goal is to have the Iraqis control more territory than
the coalition forces by the end of this year,” Bush said in the
radio address.

Some analysts have questioned how capable Iraqi security
forces would be without the aid of U.S. troops, the degree to
which they are loyal to the central government and how deeply
they have been infiltrated by insurgents.

Bush’s remarks to reporters came after he met with military
officials about tactics aimed at countering so-called
improvised explosive devices. The devices, the deadliest threat
posed by Iraqi insurgents, are often planted by insurgents on
roads to attack U.S. vehicles.

Bush told reporters he continues to press Syria and Iran to
stop interfering in Iraqi affairs and halt the flow of
militants through their borders.

“Our call is for those in the neighborhood to allow …
Iraq to develop a democracy,” Bush said. “And that includes our
call to Iran, as well as to Syria. We have made our concerns
known.”