ST LOUIS, Aug 27: US President George Bush on Tuesday vowed “there will be no retreat” from Iraq as he sought to defend the US occupation amid mounting criticism and a death toll that now surpasses invasion losses.

“Retreat in the face of terror would only invite further and bolder attacks,” Mr Bush said at the annual convention of the American Legion military veterans group. “There will be no retreat. We are on the offensive against the Saddam loyalists, the foreign fighters, and the criminal gangs that are attacking Iraqis and coalition forces.”

He spoke as the killings of two US soldiers in Iraq on Tuesday pushed the death toll to 140 for the period since May 1, when Mr Bush declared major fighting over. That is greater than the US toll of 138 dead between the March 20 start of the invasion and May 1. The figures reflect deaths from combat and non-hostile causes.

New doubts about the US mission and speculation over an influx of foreign fighters were fuelled by the bombing last week of the UN headquarters in Baghdad, which killed 24 people.

Iraq’s reconstruction after the ouster of Saddam Hussein would require “substantial” time and resources, the president said.—Reuters