Bush lashes out at Islamic radicals

PRESIDENT George W Bush, trying to reverse a slide in public support for the war in Iraq, said yesterday that Islamic radicals are seeking to “enslave whole nations and intimidate the world”, calling it a prime reason not to pull out of Iraq.

Two-and-a-half years after invading Iraq to prevent Saddam Hussein using chemical, biological and nuclear weapons that he appears not to have possessed, the president said the country was now at the heart of a war to stop international Islamists establishing a new Muslim empire stretching from Europe to Asia.

“There’s always a temptation in the middle of a long struggle to seek the quiet life, to escape the duties and problems of the world and to hope the enemy grows weary of fanaticism and tired of murder,” he said, seeking to address calls from anti-war activists for a US troop withdrawal.

In a speech before the National Endowment for Democracy, Mr Bush said Islamic militants have made Iraq their main front in a war against civilised society.

“The militants believe that controlling one country will rally the Muslim masses, enabling them to overthrow all moderate governments in the region and establish a radical Islamic empire that spans from Spain to Indonesia,” Mr Bush said.

The president has been stepping up his defence of his Iraq policy in the face of declining public support for the war and a crucial test in Iraq with the October 15 constitutional referendum.

Mr Bush likened the ideology of Islamic militants to communism. And he said they are being “aided by elements of the Arab news media that incites hatred and anti-Semitism”.

“Against such an enemy, there’s only one effective response. We never back down, never give in and never accept anything less than complete victory.”

He spoke as recent polls show declining American support for the war that has thus far claimed more than 1,940 members of American soldiers. His Iraq policy faces a crucial test in Iraq’s referendum on a new constitution, a vote that Bush has said terrorists will try to derail.

“We are facing a radical ideology with immeasurable objectives to enslave whole nations and intimidate the world,” Mr Bush said.

Bush said the terrorists are aided by corrupt charities that direct money to terrorist activities and nations, such as Syria and Iran, calling them “allies of convenience” that back terrorists.

Countering claims that the US military presence in Iraq is fuelling radicalism, Mr Bush noted that American troops were not there on September 11, 2001.

He said Russia did not support the military action in Iraq, yet a terrorist attack in Beslan, Russia, left more than 300 schoolchildren dead in 2004.