President George W Bush has warned that state sponsors of terror are as guilty as the terrorists and will be held accountable
WASHINGTON: President George W Bush has warned that state sponsors of terror are as guilty as the terrorists and will be held accountable and acknowledged that
terrorists continued to pose "serious challenges" as evident by Mumbai terror attacks.
"We have made clear that governments that sponsor terror are as guilty as the terrorists and will be held to account," Bush said without naming any country.
The president also voiced his anguish over terrorists continuing to pose "serious challenges as the world saw in the terrible attack in Mumbai last month".
"We must stand by the friends and allies who are making tough decisions and taking risks to defeat the terrorists. We must keep up the pressure on regimes that sponsor terror and pursue weapons of mass destruction," Bush said in a speech at the United States military academy West Point in New York Wednesday.
"For many years, America treated terrorist attacks as isolated incidents and responded with limited measures," Bush said. But the US changed its strategy after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks and within weeks its armed forces began taking the fight to the terrorists around the world and "we have not stopped".
Though the global war on terror launched after the 9/11 attacks weakened, the extremists "the terrorists continue to pose serious challenges, as the world saw in the
terrible attack in Mumbai last month", he said.
Bush said though Washington is providing strong support to Pakistan in its fight against extremists in the remote tribal areasbordering Afghanistan, it will do "what is necessary" to protect American troops and people in the region.
"The problem is most pronounced in Pakistan, where areas along the Afghanistan border are home to Taliban and to Al Qaida fighters. Pakistani government and people understand the threat because they have been victims of terror. They're working to enforce the law and fight terror in the border areas. And our government is providing strong support for these efforts," Bush said.
"And at the same time, we have made it clear to Pakistan and to all our partners that we will do what is necessary to protect American troops and the American people," he added.
Recently, the US has carried out more missile attacks using drones, targetting extremists holed up in the border tribal regions of Pakistan, leading to Islamabad registering
strong protests against the unilateral action.
Bush added that one of its toughest challenges was "helping our partners assert control over ungoverned spaces" -- areas where a central government's authority breaks down.
Bush, who demits office on January 20, claimed the US forces severely weakened Al Qaida and other terror outfits. "From the Horn of Africa to the islands of Southeast Asia
to wherever these thugs hide, we and our allies have applied the full range of military and intelligence assets to keep unrelenting pressure on Al Qaida and its affiliates.
"We have severely weakened the terrorists. We've disrupted plots to attack our homeland. We have captured or killed hundreds of Al Qaida leaders and operatives in more than two dozen countries, including the man who masterminded the 9/11 attacks, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed," he added.
"Al Qaida's top two leaders remain at large, yet they are facing pressure so intense that the only way they can stay alive is to stay underground. The day will come when they
receive the justice they deserve," Bush said while on a visit to the West Point Military Academy in New York.
"... After 9/11, we applied the doctrine to Afghanistan. We removed the Taliban from power. We shut down training camps where Al Qaida planned attacks on our country. We liberated more than 25 million Afghans. Now, America and her 25 NATO allies and 17 partner nations are standing with the Afghan people as they defend their free society," Bush said.
"The enemy's determined; the terrain is harsh; But our coalition will stay in this fight. We will not let the Taliban or Al Qaida return to power. And Afghanistan will never again
be a safe haven for terrorists," he added.
The President said even from an ideological point of view the rejection of violent extremism has started gathering traction.
"Muslims from Jordan and Turkey, to India and Indonesia have seen their brothers and sisters massacred and recoil from the terrorists. And even within the jihadist ranks, religious scholars have begun to criticise Al Qaida and its brutal tactics. In these ideological rejections we see the beginning of Al Qaida's ultimate demise," Bush said.
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