US President George W. Bush claimed "good progress" in Iraq 100 days after he had declared an end to major combat, but he also mourned American casualties and refused to say how long US troops would stay.
"This administration will do what is necessary to win the war on terror," Bush said on Friday.
He would not say whether he agreed with Army Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, allied forces commander in Iraq, who said Thursday that US forces will remain in Iraq at least two years.
PHOTO: AP
The White House treated the 100-day postwar mark as a political milestone, issuing a list of accomplishments as it did after Bush's first 100 days in office.
Bush would not speculate, however, about costs Americans should expect in coming months, in dollars or lives.
An American soldier was shot and killed while on guard duty in western Baghdad, the military announced on Friday, but the Army said it was unclear whether the soldier was attacked or wounded accidentally. Should the death turn out to be from combat, it would bring the total number of US troops killed to 56 since Bush declared major hostilities over May 1, and the total from combat in Iraq to 170.
"We suffer when we lose life," Bush said, speaking on his Texas ranch alongside Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld after a meeting on military strategy. Also on hand were Bush's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, and General Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
"Our country is a country that grieves with those who sacrifice, and our heartfelt sympathies and appreciation go to the loved ones of any soldier who's willing to defend the security of the United States -- and that's what they're doing in Iraq," Bush said.
He also said he could not estimate how much the war will cost in the next fiscal year but promised to present a well thought-out cost estimate to Congress. A key factor will be how much financial and military assistance the US receives from other countries, Bush said.
Democrats have sharpened their criticism of Bush's stewardship on Iraq in recent days, with the deposed president, Saddam Hussein, still at large and with no weapons of mass destruction having been discovered.
"Despite his rhetoric, George Bush has lost focus on the true terrorist threat from al-Qaeda; lost national treasure by assuming the total cost of rebuilding Iraq without the help of most of our allies," said Senator Bob Graham, a Democrat and presidential candidate. "And we all continue to lose dear American lives because we have neither the manpower to secure Iraq, nor the allied support to diffuse attention from America as the sole occupier."
Another senator running for the Democratic nomination, John Edwards of North Carolina, said Saddam's removal was the right thing to do, but "the administration went into Iraq without a clear plan for what was to come after the war." By still refusing to involve other countries, "the result has been continued instability and risk to our troops. The administration should be changing course instead of celebrating."
Bush called the criticism pure politics from Democrats who want his job.
The White House sought to counter the criticism with a broad, multifront defense.
Bush used the word "progress" six times in describing the state of postwar Iraq and was expected to devote his weekly radio address yesterday to the subject. Shortly after he spoke on Friday, the White House released a 24-page compilation of achievement in Iraq titled "Results in Iraq: 100 Days toward Security and Freedom."
It presented 10 points of evidence for each of nine areas of progress, starting with how the "liberation of Iraq supports the war on terror."
Other areas of accomplishment asserted in the report included improvements in Iraq's security and infrastructure; the start of democracy; economic renewal; cultural rebirth and improvements in the lives of Iraqi women and children.
The report also outlined areas of international contributions to patrolling and rebuilding Iraq.
Bush went out of his way to praise Germany's efforts in heading peacekeeping forces in Afghanistan, saying it was a big change from six months ago when Germany opposed the US-led invasion of Iraq. Germany, with the Netherlands, assumed command in Afghanistan on Feb. 10.
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