Bush hails success in Iraq amid protests

Five years on, 1 million dead, 5 million refugees

WASHINGTON/LONDON (AFP)

U.S. President George W. Bush on Wednesday defended his decision to go to war against Iraq five years ago, vowing no retreat as he promised the battle would end in victory.

"Five years into this battle, there's an understandable debate over whether the war was worth fighting, whether the fight is worth winning, and whether we can win it. The answers are clear to me," Bush said in a speech at the Pentagon.

"Removing Saddam Hussein from power was the right decision, and this is a fight America can and must win," he said referring to the late Iraqi dictator.

More than one million Iraqis have died in the conflict, five million have been displaced and 4,000 U.S. soldiers have died in the conflict, and although the ailing economy is increasingly distracting Americans, widespread anti-war protests are expected Wednesday and the issue remains a top concern for U.S. political leaders.

Bush launched "Operation Iraqi Freedom" at 21:30 pm on March 19, 2003 in the United States, when it was already 5:30 am in Baghdad on March 20.

But the U.S. commander-in-chief now leaves office in January, bequeathing to his successor an intractable military and political stalemate.

In his speech to the Pentagon Wednesday, the president acknowledged the war has "come at a high cost in lives and treasure."

"There's still hard work to be done in Iraq. The gains we've made are fragile and irreversible, but on this anniversary, the American people should know that since the surge began, the level of violence is significantly down, civilian deaths are down, sectarian killings are down," Bush said.

And he vowed, "the battle in Iraq will end in victory."

Protest "Operation Iraqi Freedom"

Americans in Los Angeles protest

While the president is defending his strategy, however, anti-war activists have pledged to ensure that the anniversary of "Operation Iraqi Freedom" is accompanied by as much noise and fuss as they can organize.

"The war was based on lies. One million Iraqis have died, five million have been made into refugees, tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers and marines have been killed or wounded," said Brian Becker with one well-known protest group, the ANSWER Coalition.

Anti-war groups have planned hundreds of events during the week as well as larger rallies in Washington, New York, Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco to demand an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops and mourn those killed in the conflict.

Although attendance at anti-war demonstrations has declined in recent years, organizers said they were confident of attracting large crowds.

"This war needs to end and it needs to end now," Leslie Cagan, national coordinator of United for Peace and Justice, told AFP. "I think people are looking for new ways to express their opposition."

Moveon.org planned more than 850 candlelight vigils nationwide, including one outside the White House, the group said.

Demonstrators in the U.S. capital planned to "blockade" the Internal Revenue Service, while in New York, protesters from the Granny Peace Brigade were to hold a "knit-in" at the Times Square military recruitment center.

A rally was planned in Chicago, and in Louisville, Kentucky, protestors will read aloud the names of some of the troops and Iraqi civilians killed.

British troops delay pullout

Meanwhile, British press reports said Britain will delay its planned withdrawal of around 1,500 soldiers from Iraq until the end of this year, The Daily Telegraph reported on Wednesday.

Citing unnamed government sources, the newspaper said that the decision was made because of an increased level of rocket attacks in the southern city of Basra, outside of which most British troops are based, and the continued reliance of Iraqi soldiers on British support.

"Following a force level review conducted in theatre, we have decided -- after taking advice from commanders on the ground -- that troops levels cannot come down by more than a few hundred," a government source was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

Britain currently has approximately 4,100 soldiers in Iraq, with Prime Minister Gordon Brown announcing plans to parliament in October to cut those figures to around 2,500 from this spring.

According to the Telegraph, however, some 4,000 soldiers will need to stay in Iraq until the end of the year.

A defense ministry spokeswoman, speaking to AFP, said: "We do plan for a withdrawal, but when and timings of which will be down totally to the commanders on the ground."