US President Bush, aboard an aircraft carrier homebound from war, said Thursday night "the United States and our allies have prevailed" against Saddam Hussein's Iraq and will confront any other threatening nation suspected of terrorist ties.
"Major combat operations in Iraq have ended," Bush said from the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln, which launched thousands of airstrikes on Iraq. "The battle of Iraq is one victory in a war on terror that began on Sept. 11, 2001, and still goes on."
Bush's voice broke as he called the liberation of Iraq a crucial advance in the campaign against terror. "We have removed an ally of al-Qaeda and cut off a source of terrorist funding," he said. "And this much is certain: No terrorist network will gain weapons of mass destruction from the Iraqi regime because that regime is no more."
Bush said much still needed to be done, including bringing order to the country, finding weapons of mass destruction, creating a democratic government and pursuing leaders of the fallen regime, including Saddam.
"Our mission continues," Bush said. "Al-Qaeda is wounded, not destroyed. The scattered cells of the terrorist network still operate in many nations, and we know from daily intelligence that they continue to plot against free people. The proliferation of deadly weapons remains a serious danger. The enemies of freedom are not idle, and neither are we."
He reiterated his foreign policy principles, promising to target anyone who plans attacks against the United States and any country that supports terrorists.
While promising to be a "loyal friend" to any nation that helps his anti-terrorist campaign, Bush said, "Any outlaw regime that has ties to terrorist groups, and seeks or possesses weapons of mass destruction, is a grave danger to the civilized world, and will be confronted."
The president's speech marked the end of combat in Iraq and a refocusing on the ailing economy at home.
"We are helping to rebuild Iraq, where the dictator built palaces for himself instead of hospitals and schools for the people. The transition from dictatorship to democracy will take time, but it is worth every effort."
The president cast the Iraq war as but one phase of the overall fight against terrorism.
"From Pakistan to the Philippines to the Horn of Africa, we are hunting down al-Qaeda killers," he said.
"The war on terror is not over, yet it is not endless," Bush said." We do not know the day of final victory, but we have seen the turning of the tide." (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
