    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book II)]
    [September 28, 2005]
    [Pages 1493-1495]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on the War on Terror
    September 28, 2005

        Good morning. I just had a good meeting with Generals
    Abizaid and Casey. We discussed the war on terror in which this country is
    engaged. General Abizaid talked about the global scope of this war. He
    talked about the nature of an enemy we face, an enemy which is ruthless
    and brutal, an enemy which has got strategic goals and tactics necessary
    to achieve those goals. We also talked about the fact that we're
    determined to defeat the enemy. We discussed our strategy for victory in
    Iraq as well. After all, Iraq is a key battlefront in this war on
    terror.
        I asked the Generals to go up to Capitol Hill to brief Members of the House
    and Senate on our strategy for victory, on our operations in Iraq. They
    updated me on what recently took place in Baghdad, in which Iraqi and
    coalition forces tracked down and killed Abu Azzam, the second most wanted Al Qaida leader in Iraq. This guy
    is a brutal killer. He was one of Zarqawi's top lieutenants. He was reported to be the top operational
    commander of Al Qaida in Baghdad. He is one of the terrorists
    responsible for the recent upsurge in attacks in the Iraqi capital,
    which is part of their campaign to stop a referendum on the Iraqi
    constitution and is part of their efforts to break the will of the
    American people and the will of our coalition.
        Our strategy is clear in Iraq. We are hunting down high-value
    targets like Azzam and Zarqawi. We're coordinating aggressive counterterrorism operations
    in the areas where the terrorists are concentrated. We're constantly
    adapting our tactics to the changing tactics of the terrorists. We're
    training more Iraqi forces to assume increasing responsibility for their
    country's security.
        The growing size and increasing capability of the Iraqi security
    forces are helping our coalition address a challenge we have faced since
    the beginning of the war. And General Casey discussed this with us in the Oval Office.
        See, it used to be after we cleared the terrorists out of a city,
    there wasn't enough qualified Iraqi troops to maintain control, so when
    we left to conduct other missions, the terrorists would move back in.
    Now, the increasing number of more capable Iraqi troops has allowed us
    to better hold onto the cities we have taken from the terrorists. The
    Iraqi troops know their people. They know their language, and they know
    who the terrorists are. By leaving Iraqi units in the cities we've
    cleared out, we can keep the cities safe while we move on to hunt down
    the terrorists in other parts of the country.
        We saw such success in the country's northwest region, where Iraqi
    and coalition forces recently targeted an area that was one of the main
    routes that foreign terrorists use to enter Iraq from Syria. During the
    operations in the key town of Tall `Afar, Iraqi security forces
    outnumbered coalition forces for the first time in a major offensive
    operation. General Casey brought us up
    to date on that operation. Because of our joint efforts, hundreds of
    terrorists have been killed or captured or flushed, which makes it more
    difficult for the foreign terrorists to enter Iraq through the northwest
    route.
        As part of General Casey's
    strategy, Iraqi forces remain in Tall `Afar to ensure that the
    terrorists are not allowed to return and

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    regroup. Coalition and Iraqi troops are on the hunt for terrorists in
    western Iraq. We're on the offense. We have a plan to win. We're working
    to stop those terrorists from crossing into the country through Syria,
    and we're denying safe haven to Al Qaida in the Anbar Province.
        Members of Congress will get the latest information about our
    strategy, and I want to thank them for taking time out of their
    schedules to listen to these two
    Generals. They will hear about the strategy
    and the progress in increasing the size and capability of the Iraqi
    security forces. At this moment, more than a dozen Iraqi battalions have
    completed training and are conducting antiterrorist operations in Ramadi
    and Fallujah. More than 20 battalions are operating in Baghdad, and some
    have taken the lead in operations in major sectors of the city.
        In total, more than 100 battalions are operating throughout Iraq.
    Our commanders report that the Iraqi forces are operating with
    increasing effectiveness. As Iraqi forces show they're capable of
    keeping the terrorists out, they're earning the trust and confidence of
    the Iraqi people, which ensures the success of a free and democratic
    Iraq.
        The terrorists have a history of escalating their attacks before
    Iraq's major political milestones. Two key elections are fast
    approaching. As these milestones approach, we can expect there to be
    increasing violence from the terrorists. They can't stand elections. The
    thought of people voting is an anathema to them. You see, democracy and
    freedom are the exact opposite of what's in their mind, in their vision.
        Next month the Iraqis will vote on a democratic constitution. If
    that constitution is approved, they will return to polls later this year
    to elect a fully constitutional government. The terrorists will fail.
    See, the Iraqis want to be free. They proved that last January when over
    8 million citizens, in the face of violence and threats, voted. And the
    terrorists are going to fail this time. But we can expect they'll do
    everything in their power to try to stop the march of freedom. And our
    troops are ready for it.
        I urge the Members of Congress to attend the briefings with General
    Abizaid and Casey. 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. They need
    to know the way we're adopting our tactics and the way we're changing
    our strategy to meet the needs on the ground.
        As Members of Congress speak with Generals Abizaid and Casey, I'm confident
    they'll see what I see--our leaders, these two Generals are men of
    vision and determination, and it is their leadership that is helping
    bring victory in the war on terror.
        Thank you very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:26 a.m. in the Rose Garden at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Gen. John P. Abizaid, USA,
    commander, U.S. Central Command; Gen. George W. Casey, Jr., USA,
    commanding general, Multi-National Force--Iraq; and senior Al Qaida
    associate Abu Musab Al Zarqawi. The Office of the Press Secretary also
    released a Spanish language transcript of these remarks.

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