[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 39 (Monday, October 3, 2005)]
[Pages 1468-1469]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
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 
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.

[[Page 1469]]

    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, 
combatant 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.