Bush pleads for patience as war passes 4-year mark

At least 26 people were killed in bombings Monday.
BAGHDAD (AP) -- With the war in Iraq entering its fifth year, President Bush pleaded for patience as he faced Democrat-sponsored legislation that effectively would require the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq by fall 2008. He said his plan to curb violence by sending more U.S. troops to Baghdad and the surrounding areas needed more time. Fewer than half the reinforcements have arrived.
"There will be good days and bad days ahead as the security plan unfolds," he said in a televised statement, adding that he had received news of positive signs during a briefing on the war with his National Security Council and in a video conference call with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
Al-Maliki's office said the Shiite leader assured Bush in their half-hour call that his government was pressing ahead with reconstruction and political reforms and that it remained committed to national reconciliation and the passage of a draft oil law.
"The two sides agreed to secure the requirements for peace and stability for a stable, democratic and prosperous Iraq," said the statement, adding that Bush welcomed the Iraqi government's efforts to follow through on its commitments and renewed his support for al-Maliki.
Bombings
Around Iraq bombs tore through a Shiite mosque during prayers in Baghdad and struck several targets in the oil-rich city of Kirkuk on Monday, killing at least 26 people.
The latest attacks highlighted the challenges facing U.S. and Iraqi forces in their bid to curb sectarian bloodshed with the month-old security crackdown. Execution-style killings usually blamed on Shiite militias have fallen dramatically, but bombings have not kept pace in the downward trend.
Nobody claimed responsibility for the bombings, but they bore the hallmarks of Sunni insurgents.
The violence in Baghdad began shortly after the afternoon call to prayer in a small green-domed mosque in the Shorja market area, where a truck bomb killed 137 people last month.
Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.