Bush hails death of sons as end of former regime
Mr Bush called Uday and Qusay Hussein, both killed on Tuesday during a firefight with US forces, “two of the regime’s chief henchmen ... responsible for torture, maiming and murder of countless Iraqis.”
“We have made progress, steady progress, in restoring hope in a nation beaten down by decades of tyranny,” said Mr Bush. He said that 19 nations were providing more than 13,000 troops “to help stabilise Iraq” and that additional help “will soon arrive.”
Still, in a Rose Garden appearance with Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and L. Paul Bremer, the US occupation governor for Iraq, Mr Bush said that “a few remaining hold-outs” loyal to Saddam’s government are complicating efforts to stabilise Iraq and advance freedom.
“These killers are the enemies of Iraq’s people. They operate mainly in a few areas of the country. And wherever they operate, they’re being hunted and they will be defeated,” said Mr Bush. He did not respond to questions shouted by reporters.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair hailed the killing of two of Saddam Hussein’s sons as “great news”.
Mr Blair, in Hong Kong, said: “This is a great day for the new Iraq. These two particular people were at the head of a regime that wasn’t just a security threat because of its weapons programme, but was responsible for the torture and killing of thousands and thousands of innocent Iraqis.”
“The celebrations that are taking place are an indication of just how evil they were.
“I think this is a very important move forward. It’s great news.”
Even as officials confirmed that Saddam’s two sons were killed on Tuesday in a firefight with US troops, a soldier with the 3rd Armoured Cavalry Regiment died when his convoy, driving between Balad and Ar Ramadi, was ambushed and two more were killed yesterday in separate attacks on convoys.
Mr Bush sought to present a progress report on Iraq since he declared major combat over nearly three months ago.
“We are determined to help build a free and sovereign democratic nation,” he said.
While the White House was exhibiting obvious pleasure in the deaths of the two Saddam sons, questions continued to dog the administration over the president’s use of discredited intelligence to bolster his case for war with Iraq.
On Tuesday, the top aide to National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice took the blame for allowing a tainted report suggesting Iraq was trying to buy uranium in Africa to find its way into Mr Bush’s January State of the Union address.
Deputy national security adviser Stephen Hadley said two CIA memos and a call from CIA director George Tenet had persuaded him to take a similar passage out of a presidential speech in October and he should have done likewise when it turned up again in State of the Union drafts.
“Rebuilding Iraq will require a sustained commitment. America and our partners kept our promise to remove the dictator and the threat he posed, not only to the Iraqi people but to the world,” he added.
Before walking out into the Rose Garden, Mr Bush convened an informal gathering of his war council in the Oval Office. Mr Bush aides said the president was upset by Hadley’s failure to come forward with the CIA objections, but turned down what amounted to an offer by Hadley to resign.
The White House has launched a full-scale damage control effort in an attempt to divert attention away from the president’s State of the Union comments on Iraq and Africa.
