Washington, Aug 23: President George W Bush said today that "terrorists" had carried out two high profile attacks in the Middle East this week in a bid to establish Taliban-style governments.
But he vowed in a hard-hitting weekly radio address that the United States would target radical groups anywhere in the world.
"The terrorists have declared war on every free nation and all our citizens. Their goals are clear. They want more governments to resemble the oppressive Taliban that once ruled Afghanistan."
The United States led a campaign to topple the hardline Islamic government in Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington in 2001. Al-Qaeda, which carried out the attacks, had major bases in Afghanistan.
"Terrorists commit atrocities because they want the civilized world to flinch and retreat so they can impose their totalitarian vision. There will be no flinching in this war on terror, and there will be no retreat."

Bush added that "from Afghanistan to Iraq, to the Philippines and elsewhere, we are waging a campaign against the terrorists and their allies, wherever they gather, wherever they plan, and wherever they act.

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"This campaign requires sacrifice, determination and resolve, and we will see it through. Iraq is an essential front in this war."

Bush's address focused on Tuesday's bombing of the UN offices in Baghdad that left 23 dead including the main UN envoy for Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello and a bomb attack on a Jerusalem bus the same day which left 20 dead.
Bureau Report