(Oct 21,2006)
Good morning.
Earlier this week, I spoke with Prime Minister Maliki of Iraq. We
discussed the recent increase in violence in his country. Attacks have grown significantly during
the first weeks of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
There are a number of reasons for this increase in violence. One reason is
that Coalition and Iraqi forces have been conducting focused operations to bring
security to Baghdad. Side by side, Iraqi and American forces are operating in
the city's most violent areas to disrupt al Qaeda, capture enemy fighters, crack
down on IED makers, and break up death squads. As we engage our enemies in their
stronghold, these enemies are putting up a tough fight. In a briefing in Iraq on
Thursday, General William Caldwell said the operation to secure Baghdad has "not
met our overall expectations." He also explained, "It's no coincidence that the
surge in attacks against coalition forces coincides with our increased presence
in the streets in Baghdad."
Our goal in Iraq is clear and unchanging: Our goal is victory. What is
changing are the tactics we use to achieve that goal. Our commanders on the
ground are constantly adjusting their approach to stay ahead of the enemy,
particularly in Baghdad. General Pete Pace, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs,
recently put it this way: "From a military standpoint, every day is a
reassessment day." We have a strategy that allows us to be flexible and to adapt
to changing circumstances. We've changed the way we train the Iraqi security
forces. We have changed the way we deliver reconstruction assistance in areas
that have been cleared of terrorist influence. And we will continue to be
flexible, and make every necessary change to prevail in this struggle.
Iraq's new leaders are beginning to take the difficult steps necessary to
defeat the terrorists and unite their country. The Prime Minister recently met
with tribal leaders from Anbar Province, who told him they are ready to stand up
and fight the terrorists. He's also taken action to clean up the Iraqi national
police. His government suspended a national police unit after allegations that
some of its members were linked to militias and death squads. A battalion
commander was arrested for possible complicity in sectarian deaths. And earlier
this week, two of Iraq's most senior police commanders were reassigned as part
of a major restructuring of the national police force.
Another reason for the recent increase in attacks is that the terrorists are
trying to influence public opinion here in the United States. They have a
sophisticated propaganda strategy. They know they cannot defeat us in the
battle, so they conduct high-profile attacks, hoping that the images of violence
will demoralize our country and force us to retreat. They carry video cameras
and film their atrocities, and broadcast them on the Internet. They e-mail
images and video clips to Middle Eastern cable networks like al-Jazeera, and
instruct their followers to send the same material to American journalists,
authors, and opinion leaders. They operate websites, where they post messages
for their followers and readers across the world.
In one recent message, the Global Islamic Media Front -- a group that often
posts al Qaeda propaganda on websites -- said their goal is to, "carry out a
media war that is parallel to the military war." This is the same strategy the
terrorists launched in Afghanistan following 9/11. In a letter to the Taliban
leader Mullah Omar, Osama bin Laden wrote that al Qaeda intended to wage "a
media campaign, to create a wedge between the American people and their
government."
The terrorists are trying to divide America and break our will, and we must
not allow them to succeed. So America will stand with the democratic government
of Iraq. We will help Prime Minister Maliki build a free nation that can govern
itself, sustain itself, and defend itself. And we will help Iraq become a strong
democracy that is a strong ally in the war on terror.
There is one thing we will not do: We will not pull our troops off the
battlefield before the mission is complete. There are some in Washington who
argue that retreating from Iraq would make us safer. I disagree. Retreating from
Iraq would allow the terrorists to gain a new safe haven from which to launch
new attacks on America. Retreating from Iraq would dishonor the men and women
who have given their lives in that country, and mean their sacrifice has been in
vain. And retreating from Iraq would embolden the terrorists, and make our
country, our friends, and our allies more vulnerable to new attacks.
The last few weeks have been rough for our troops in Iraq, and for the Iraqi
people. The fighting is difficult, but our Nation has seen difficult fights
before. In World War II and the Cold War, earlier generations of Americans
sacrificed so that we can live in freedom. This generation will do its duty as
well. We will defeat the terrorists everywhere they make their stand, and we
will leave a more hopeful world for our children and our grandchildren.
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