WASHINGTON, July 26: United States President George W. Bush said on Friday that the US forces and their allies had killed more than 2,000 terrorists since Oct 7, when Washington launched its military campaign against the Taliban and Al Qaida forces in Afghanistan.

He described the war as “the first war of the 21st century,” in which America was leading “a mighty coalition of civilized nations, all joined in facing a common threat to humanity.”

“So far, we’ve captured over 2,000 of the terrorists. Just about that many weren’t quite as lucky,” said Bush in a speech in the Old Executive Office building next door to the White House. But he warned that “there’s a lot of ‘em out there” who would continue to fight in the foreseeable future.

“This is a determined enemy we face. This is a war that will occupy not only our time but will occupy the time of future presidents and future members of the US Congress and future agency heads,” he said.

Defending his decision to create the department of homeland security, Bush said it would control the US borders and “prevent terrorists and weapons from entering our county.”

“We need to know who’s coming in and why they’re coming in and what they’re bringing in with them, and whether or not they’re leaving when they say they’re going to leave,” said the president, who has ordered to tighten immigration controls to regulate the flow of visitors into the US.

The Bush administration also has directed law enforcement agencies to ensure that the visitors leave the country within the stipulated period.