May 23, 2008	Friday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 17, 1429

FORT BRAGG (North Carolina), May 22: President George W. Bush warned on Thursday that a premature US military withdrawal from Iraq would be “catastrophic for our country”, strengthen Al Qaeda and embolden Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Bush said security had improved enough in Iraq to justify an ongoing drawdown that would see troop levels reduced by 25 per cent from last year, but he gave no indication whether he supported even further troop reductions as General David Petraeus has indicated could take place.

Earlier on Thursday, Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, told Congress he expects to be able to recommend more cuts in US forces in Iraq before he leaves his post in September.

Bush, in a speech to thousands of army paratroopers recently returned to Fort Bragg, North Carolina from 15-month tours in Iraq, said he remained adamant that US troops continue their “war on terror” to prevent renewed 9/11-style attacks on US soil.“Withdrawal before success would send a signal to terrorists and extremists across the world that America is weak and does not have the stomach for a long fight,” he said after observing a series of ceremonial parachute jumps.

“Withdrawal before success would be catastrophic for our country. It would be more likely that we would suffer another attack, like the one we experienced on September 11,” 2001, he added.

“It would jeopardise the safety of future generations and we must not and we will not allow that to happen.” He also warned that withdrawal “would embolden Iran and its nuclear weapons ambitions and its efforts to dominate the region.” Bush said he expected “more violence” from “Iranian-backed special groups, illegal militias and criminal gangs,” but he also praised Iraqi forces which he said are now better-equipped and better-trained to maintain security.

With the war in its sixth year and the US death toll above 4,000, Iraq is a flashpoint issue in this year’s US presidential campaign, with Republican presumptive nominee John McCain the only candidate in favour of continuing a highly unpopular war.

Democratic hopefuls Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are calling for a pullout.

“I know there have been some disagreements on the war on terror,” Bush acknowledged.

“But wherever members of Congress stood on the decision to remove Saddam Hussein, we should be able to agree that our troops deserve America’s full support.

“That means the United States Congress needs to pass a responsible war funding bill that does not tie the hands of our commanders and gives our troops everything they need to complete and accomplish the mission.”

A long-running impasse between the Democratic-controlled Congress and the administration has stalled approval of a $108 billion request to fund US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan in the 2008 fiscal year. —AFP