As the US death toll in the five-year Iraq war hit 4-thousand, President George W. Bush has pledged to ensure "an outcome that will merit the sacrifice" of those who have died in Iraq, offering both sympathy and resolve.
After a briefing on US diplomatic strategy around the world, Bush addresses the State Department.
"I have vowed in the past and will vow so long as I am president to make sure those lives were not lost in vain...On this day of reflection, I offer our deepest sympathies to their families..I hope their families know that citizens pray for their comfort and their strength, whether they were the first one who lost their life in Iraq or recently lost their lives in Iraq."
The White House says Bush is likely to accept an expected recommendation from the top commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, for a pause in troop withdrawals beyond those already scheduled to be completed by July, in order to assess the impact of the current round.
The US has about 158-thousand troops in Iraq. That number is expected to drop to 140-thousand by summer. |
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