War is Not Over, but Bush Declares End to Major Fighting in Iraq

President George Bush said May 1 that major fighting in Iraq is over. But Bush did not declare an end to war in the Middle Eastern nation. The president says parts of Iraq remain dangerous.
“The battle of Iraq is one victory in a war on terror that began September 11.” Bush said. “The war on terrorism still goes on,” he added.

More than 3,000 Americans were killed in terrorist attacks on September 11th. Bush has blamed a group called al Qaeda for the attacks.

140 American troops died
The American military said 140 of its troops were killed in the fighting in Iraq by the time of Bush's speech. Two more American soldiers were reported killed May 8. The British military reported 33 of its troops were killed.

“Those we lost were last seen on duty,” Bush said in his speech to the nation. “Their final act on this Earth was to fight a great evil and bring liberty to others.”

The number of Iraqi troops killed in the fighting was not known. But it was believed that several thousand Iraqi fighters lost their lives.

Bush ordered American and British forces to attack Iraq on March 20. The president said he ordered the war because Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was hiding weapons of mass destruction. Bush also claimed Iraq was helping terrorists.

Hussein denied having the weapons. Inspectors from the United Nations had been looking for the weapons in Iraq.

The inspectors failed to find any of the weapons. But they were ordered to leave Iraq days before the war started. The United Nations ordered Iraq in 1991 to destroy all weapons of mass destruction.

After the war started, Bush said he also wanted to remove Hussein from power. Hussein had been dictator of Iraq for 34 years. He was not chosen by the people in free elections.

Hussein is wanted for arrest
Hussein has not been seen since losing control of Iraq. Bush and other American officials say they do not know if Hussein is still alive. But Hussein and 54 of his aides were wanted for arrest.
American and British troops did most of the fighting in Iraq. Australia and Poland also sent troops.
On April 9, American Marines and a crowd of Iraqi citizens pulled down a large statue of Hussein in the capital city of Baghdad. The act signaled the world that the fighting was coming to an end.
Bush has said that American troops would leave Iraq as soon as a new government can take over. And they still want to find Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction.

Bush said in his May 1 speech that freedom is the best defense against terrorists. The president also said nearly half of al Qaeda's senior leaders had been captured or killed since the September 11 attacks.

Bush sent troops to fight al Qaeda and its friends in Afghanistan after September 11. American soldiers remain in Afghanistan.

That nation is trying to recover from wars that have gone on for most of the last 25 years.