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.
"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
