President George W. Bush Wednesday went on the offensive over Iraq, insisting he had a clear strategy for victory, despite raging violence and slumping support for the war among Americans.
Bush, personal approval ratings dragged down by a combination of Iraq and the fallout from the Hurricane Katrina debacle, warned however that violence could surge before Iraqis vote on a new constitution next month.
But he warned US troops were ready, and would not let "terrorists" obstruct the "march of freedom," apparently trying to convince Americans of progress in Iraq, despite the deaths of more than 1,900 US troops since March 2003.
"Our strategy is clear in Iraq. We are hunting down high value targets," Bush said, highlighting the killing of Azu Azzam who the US military and Iraqi government said was al Qaeda's number two in the country.
"This guy is a brutal killer," Bush said.
Al Qaeda has denied that Abu Azzam, also known as Abdallah Nahim, but whose real name was Abdallah Mohammed al-Juhaari, was its second in command in Iraq.
Despite his demise, Bush warned of the likelihood of more violence in the run-up to a referendum on a draft post-Saddam Hussein constitution next month and elections due before mid-December.
"As these milestones approach, we can expect there to be increasing violence from the terrorists," Bush said, after a briefing from US Central Command chief, General John Abizaid, General George Casey, commander of US forces in Iraq and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Richard Myers.
Despite his outlining of progress in halting terrorist incursions into Iraq, and in the training of Iraqi troops, Bush's statement did not contain new material or initiatives to stem violence in the country.
But Bush, in an apparent sign of concern about restiveness in Congress over the human, diplomatic and financial cost of the US presence in Iraq, unusually called directly on key members of both parties to heed the generals' message.
"I urge the members of Congress to attend the briefings with Generals Abizaid and Casey," he said in the televised statement in the White House Rose Garden.
"I urge them to ask questions about our efforts in Iraq and to listen carefully about the type of war we fight. "The support of Congress for our troops and our mission is important, and Americans need to know about the gains we've made in recent weeks and months."
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