WASHINGTON, Aug 22: US President George W. Bush declared on Monday that US troops will stay in Iraq for as long as it took them to complete their mission, asserting that ‘a policy of retreat and isolation will not bring us safety’ from terrorism.

With US casualties rising and his approval rating falling, Mr Bush urged Americans to stand united on the war in Iraq and against terrorists everywhere.

While the US has not been attacked since Sept. 11, 2001, Mr Bush said, “We’re not yet safe. Terrorists in foreign lands still hope to attack our country. We must confront threats before they fully materialize.”

“The only way to defend our citizens where we live is to go after the terrorists where they live,” Mr Bush said in a speech to the national convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Mr Bush chose the national convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars as the site for the first of a series of speeches aimed at reaffirming his plan to stay the course in Iraq. And as expected, he declared that US troops will stay in Iraq for as long as it takes to train Iraqi national forces to defend their country against terrorists.

Earlier on Monday, Mr Bush took a three-day break from his vacation to shore up dwindling support for the war in Iraq. A recently released CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll found 54 per cent of US citizens thought the 2003 invasion of Iraq was a mistake. Anti-war protests also are building up across America.