Defiant Bush vows no retreat from Iraq

ST LOUIS - United States President George W. Bush yesterday vowed "there will be no retreat" from Iraq as he sought to defend the occupation amid mounting criticism and a post-war US death toll that now surpasses invasion losses.

"Retreat in the face of terror would only invite further and bolder attacks," Bush told the American Legion military veterans group.

"There will be no retreat. We are on the offensive against the Saddam loyalists, the foreign fighters and the criminal gangs that are attacking Iraqis and coalition forces."

He spoke as the deaths of two American soldiers in Iraq yesterday pushed the toll to 140 since May 1, when Bush declared major fighting over. That is more than the US toll of 138 dead between the March 20 start of the war and May 1.

New doubts about the US mission and speculation over an influx of foreign fighters were fuelled by the bombing last week of the United Nations headquarters in Iraq, which killed 23 people.

After Bush's speech, two US senators said the President failed to adequately address what was at stake.

"This is going to take years and hundreds of billions of dollars ... and hundreds of thousands of troops to sustain this effort," said Nebraska Republican Senator Chuck Hagel. Senator Joe Biden, a Delaware Democrat, said a failed occupation would provide a "breeding ground" for terrorism that could lead to the collapse of Gulf states and possibly Egypt.

Iraq's reconstruction after the ousting of Saddam Hussein would require "substantial" time and resources, Bush said.

Faced with calls from both parties to significantly increase troop levels in Iraq, Bush said he would "challenge" more countries to join the US-led occupation force.

But a UN mandate on troop recruitment has stalled amid US opposition to giving the international body more decision-making power in Iraq.

Bush also said he would work with Congress to provide the needed resources for the occupation.

He said post-Saddam Iraq had become a battleground against militant networks, and that by fighting against such groups in Iraq and other foreign countries, American forces were helping to prevent attacks within the US.

But critics say the Iraq war stimulated recruitment by militant groups, and the US mission has become bogged down.

- REUTERS

Herald Feature: Iraq