Bush: Battle of Iraq just one victory in terror war

President George Bush, on board an aircraft carrier steaming home from war, delivered a warning today: “The United States and our allies have prevailed” against Saddam Hussein and will confront any nation tied to terrorists.

“Major combat operations in Iraq have ended,” Bush said on the deck of the Abraham Lincoln, which launched thousands of air strikes on Iraq.

Bush flew to the carrier in the Pacific on a Navy jet and made a screeching stop as his plane was snagged by a cable stretched across the deck.

He changed out of his flight suit to address thousands of cheering Navy personnel dressed in yellow, green and powder-blue crew shirts and crowded aboard the sun-dappled deck to hear their commander in chief.

“The liberation of Iraq is a crucial advance in the campaign against terror,” the president said.

“We have removed an ally of al-Qaida and cut off a source of terrorist funding. And this much is certain: No terrorist network will gain weapons of mass destruction from the Iraqi regime because that regime is no more.”

Bush sought to give the nation a closure to the fighting while avoiding a sweeping claim of overall victory.

He said much still needed to be done, including bringing order to the country, finding weapons of mass destruction, creating a democratic government and pursuing leaders of the fallen regime, including Saddam.

“The battle of Iraq is one victory in a war on terror that began on September 11 2001, and still goes on,” he said.

Bush stopped short of declaring victory or an end to the war. Such declarations could trigger international laws requiring the speedy release of prisoners of war, limiting efforts to go after deposed Iraqi leaders and designating the United States as an occupying power.

“Our mission continues,” he said. “Al-Qaida is wounded, not destroyed.

"The scattered cells of the terrorist network still operate in many nations, and we know from daily intelligence that they continue to plot against free people.

"The proliferation of deadly weapons remains a serious danger. The enemies of freedom are not idle, and neither are we.”

He reiterated his foreign policy principles, promising to target anyone who plans attacks against the United States and any country that supports terrorists.

While promising to be a “loyal friend” to any nation that helps his anti-terrorist campaign, Bush said:

“Any outlaw regime that has ties to terrorist groups, and seeks or possesses weapons of mass destruction, is a grave danger to the civilised world, and will be confronted.”

The president did not single out any country, though the Bush administration has accused both Iran and Syria of supporting terrorism. He has dubbed Iraq, Iran and North Korea an “axis of evil.”

The Abraham Lincoln, returning from the Gulf, was about 30 miles from San Diego, California, when Bush landed

A former pilot, Bush took a turn at the controls, flying about a third of the way.

Bush emerged in a green flight suit, carrying his helmet, and shouted to reporters: “Yes, I flew it!”

He said he had only steered the plane “straight ahead” and wasn’t tempted to try to land it.

It was a made-for-television day sure to be replayed during Bush’s re-election campaign.

With a wide grin, the president lingered on the deck with crew members, shaking hands and posing for pictures.

“Good job,” he shouted to sailors.

The ship was slowed so Bush could spend the night on board before it docked today, officials said.

He watched dozens of fighters roar off the ship one last time on the way to home bases.

The Abraham Lincoln was returning from a 10-month deployment, the longest ever by a nuclear-powered carrier.

Its aircraft dropped nearly 1.2 million pounds of ordnance on Iraq, about 40% of the firepower that US carriers and their jets rained down.