President Bush yesterday called the war in Iraq a “long-term undertaking” that is necessary to stability in the Middle East and security in the United States.
In his weekly radio address, Bush gave more signs that the costly intervention – $4 billion a month and several deaths a week – will continue for some time, despite the end of major combat and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.
“This long-term undertaking is vital to peace in the region and to the security of the United States,” Bush said from his ranch in Crawford, Texas, where he is working and vacationing.
One hundred days have passed since Bush declared the end of major combat operations, a sign to many that the war’s end was not far behind. Since then, at least 55 troops have been killed in combat, including an American soldier who was shot and killed Friday in western Baghdad.
Despite the casualties, Bush said the U.S. military and its allies had made “steady progress.”
Bush has made the Iraqi mission one of the cornerstones of his vision for peace in the Middle East, senior officials said.
Already, 6,000 Iraqi police are patrolling Baghdad and about 20,000 more are on duty elsewhere. Banks are open, the Iraqi economy is being rebuilt and 1 million barrels of crude oil are produced daily.
A successful rebuilding process could stand as a model for other countries in the region, officials said.