Posted on 01/11/2007 3:34:54 AM PST by Flavius
US President George W Bush has vowed to cut off Iranian and Syrian support to "terrorists" in Iraq in an aggressive warning that appeared to leave the door open to US strikes on the two countries.
As he unveiled his new strategy for the Iraq war, Bush accused Iran of supporting elements intent on attacking US troops in the war-torn country.
Success in Iraq was linked with success in stabilising the broader region, Bush said, adding: "This begins with addressing Iran and Syria."
"These two regimes are allowing terrorists and insurgents to use their territory to move in and out of Iraq. Iran is providing material support for attacks on American troops," the president said in a national address aimed at selling his new Iraq strategy.
"We will disrupt the attacks on our forces. We will interrupt the flow of support from Iran and Syria.
"And we will seek out and destroy the networks providing advanced weaponry and training to our enemies in Iraq."
Bush said he had ordered the deployment of an additional carrier strike group and Patriot anti-missile systems in the Middle East to beef up regional security and "reassure our friends and allies".
The US has rapidly upgraded the capability of the Patriot systems which provide air and missile defence following their relatively little success in the first Gulf War.
Washington is now trying to market the weapon to several Middle East nations increasingly worried about their security.
Citing countries such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and the Gulf States, Bush said they needed to understand that an American defeat in Iraq would "create a new sanctuary for extremists - and a strategic threat to their survival".
"These nations have a stake in a successful Iraq that is at peace with its neighbours - and they must step up their support for Iraq's unity government," he said.
"From Afghanistan to Lebanon to the Palestinian Territories, millions of ordinary people are sick of the violence, and want a future of peace and opportunity for their children.
"And they are looking at Iraq. They want to know: Will America withdraw and yield the future of that country to the extremists - or will we stand with the Iraqis who have made the choice for freedom?"
Bush said the US would work with others to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear weapons and dominating the region, and it would help the governments of Turkey and Iraq resolve their border problems.
On Friday, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will leave for the Middle East to build support for Iraq, and continue "the urgent diplomacy" required to help bring peace to the region, he said.
"The challenge playing out across the broader Middle East is more than a military conflict," said the US president.
"It is the decisive ideological struggle of our time," he said, likening it to a fight between "those who believe in freedom and moderation" and "extremists who kill the innocent, and have declared their intention to destroy our way of life."
In the long run, he said, the most realistic way to protect the American people was to provide a "hopeful alternative to the hateful ideology of the enemy - by advancing liberty across a troubled region."
Iraq has the same problem we do.
Open borders that allow criminals to walk right in.
Who wrote this article? IIRC, the Patriot had a great track record during Gulf War I.
I hate the government-speak euphemism "extremist." I wish that he would have just called a spade a spade and said "Muslim terrorists."
It took Bush, and the pointy headed neo-cons, how many years to figure this out?
They'd figured it out. They just had to get up the gumption to do something about it.
Just heard that 5 Iranian Officials were caught in the Kurdistan region. If they let them go this time it's time for us to go until they kill themselves off then we'll go back in a take all the oil for reimbursement.
I won't believe we're serious until I hear that there has be large explosions on the other side of the borders in question.
Everyone knows there are staging areas for all this flow of supplies and they should be one of first targets.
*ahem* - the track record was, as I recall, somewhat mediocre (but a lot better than nothing). but come on, that was the early 1990's...
the Patriot system is quite a different beast these days than it was *15 years* ago
what frosts me is the the MSM clowns are trying to equate the Patriot from those times to the Patriot system now... *quite* a difference in quality and performance.
too little, too late
Only solution: Take off the gloves and REALLY release the dogs of war.
I wouldn't recognize the short-range (SHORAD) systems of today. In my day, we had Redeye, Chaparral, and Stinger missiles.
As to faulty/uninformed reportage by the MSM, don't get me started...
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