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Skriven 2006-10-21 23:31:22 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (061021) for Sat, 2006 Oct 21
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President's Radio Address
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For Immediate Release
October 21, 2006

President's Radio Address


ÿÿÿÿÿ Audio ÿÿÿÿÿ In Focus: Renewal in Iraq ÿÿÿÿÿ


THE PRESIDENT: 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."

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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.

Thank you for listening.

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