[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 40 (Monday, October 10, 2005)]
[Pages 1486-1487]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

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The President's Radio Address

October 1, 2005

    Good morning. This week I met with the generals who are overseeing 
our efforts in Iraq--Generals Abizaid and Casey--to discuss our strategy 
for victory. They updated me on the operations in Baghdad last weekend, 
in which Iraqi and coalition forces tracked down and killed the second 
most wanted Al Qaida leader in Iraq. This brutal killer was a top 
lieutenant of the terrorist Zarqawi. He was also one of the terrorists 
responsible for the recent wave of attacks in the Iraqi capital, which 
is part of the terrorist campaign to halt political progress in Iraq, by 
stopping this month's referendum on the Iraqi constitution.

    Our strategy in Iraq is clear: We're hunting down deadly terrorist 
leaders. We're conducting aggressive counterterrorism operations in the 
areas where the terrorists are concentrated. We are constantly adapting 
our tactics to the changing tactics of the terrorists, and 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. It used to be that after we cleared the 
terrorists out of a city, there were not enough qualified Iraqi troops 
to maintain control. So if we left to conduct missions in other areas of 
Iraq, the terrorists would try to move back in. Now the increasing 
number of more capable Iraqi troops has allowed us to keep a better hold 
on the cities we have taken from the terrorists. The Iraqi troops know 
their people and their language, and they know who the terrorists are. 
By leaving Iraqi units in the cities we have cleared out, we can keep 
those cities safe, while moving on to hunt down the terrorists in other 
parts of the country.

    We used this approach recently in Iraq's northwest region, where 
Iraqi and coalition forces targeted an area that was one of the main 
routes for foreign terrorists entering Iraq from Syria. During 
operations in the key town of Tall `Afar, Iraqi security forces 
outnumbered coalition forces for the first time in a major offensive 
operation. Because of our joint efforts, hundreds of insurgents and 
terrorists have been killed or captured or flushed out, and our 
continued efforts will make it more difficult for foreign terrorists to 
enter Iraq.

    As part of our strategy, Iraqi forces have stayed behind in Tall 
`Afar to ensure that the terrorists cannot return and regroup. And 
coalition and Iraqi troops are pursuing the terrorists in western Iraq, 
working to deny Al Qaida a safe haven there and to stop terrorists from 
crossing into the country through Syria.

    I'm encouraged by the increasing size and capability of the Iraqi 
security forces. Today, they have more than 100 battalions operating 
throughout the country, and our commanders report that the Iraqi forces 
are serving with increasing effectiveness. In fact, this week coalition 
forces were able to turn over security responsibility for one of Iraq's 
largest cities, Karbala, to Iraqi soldiers. As Iraqi forces show they're 
capable of fighting the terrorists, they are earning the trust and 
confidence of the Iraqi people, which will ensure the success of a free 
and democratic Iraq.

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    More difficult and dangerous work still lies ahead. The terrorists 
have a history of escalating their attacks before Iraq's major political 
milestones, and two elections are fast approaching. In 2 weeks, Iraqis 
will vote on a democratic constitution, and if that constitution is 
approved, they will return to the polls later this year to elect a fully 
constitutional government.
    As Iraqis take these next steps on the path to freedom and 
democracy, the terrorists will do everything they can to stop this 
progress and try to break our will. They will fail. Defeating the 
terrorists in Iraq will require more time and more sacrifice. Yet all 
Americans can have confidence in the military commanders who are leading 
the effort in Iraq and in the troops under their command. They have made 
important gains in recent weeks and months. They are adapting our 
strategy to meet the needs on the ground, and they're helping us to 
bring victory in the war on terror.
    Thank you for listening.

Note: The President spoke at 10:06 a.m. from the Oval Office 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 this address.