After
the fall of Saddam, Zarqawi went underground and declared his allegiance
to Osama bin Laden, who called him the "Prince of al Qaida in Iraq" and
instructed terrorists around the world to "listen to him and obey him."
Zarqawi personally beheaded American hostages and other civilians in
Iraq; he masterminded the destruction of the United Nations headquarters
in Baghdad; and he was responsible for the assassination of an American
diplomat in Jordan and the bombing of hotels in Amman. His goals in Iraq
were clear: He wanted to stop the rise of democracy, drive coalition
forces out, incite a civil war, and turn that country into a safe haven
from which al Qaida could launch new attacks on America and other free
nations. Instead, Zarqawi died in the free and democratic Iraq that he
fought so hard to prevent, and the world is better off because this
violent man will never kill again.
Iraqis can be justly proud of their new government and its early
steps to improve their security. And Americans can be enormously proud
of the men and women of our Armed Forces, and the intelligence officers
who support them. In the past three years, our troops have overthrown a
cruel dictator, fought the terrorists and insurgents house to house, and
trained Iraqi forces to defend their new democracy. All the while, they
stayed on the trail of this brutal terrorist, persevering through years
of near misses and false leads and never giving up hope. This week they
got their man. And all Americans are grateful for their remarkable
achievement.
Zarqawi is dead, but the difficult and necessary mission in Iraq
continues. In the weeks ahead, violence in Iraq may escalate. The
terrorists and insurgents will seek to prove that they can carry on
without Zarqawi. And Coalition and Iraqi forces are seizing this moment
to strike the enemies of freedom in Iraq at this time of uncertainty for
their cause. The work ahead will require more sacrifice and the
continued patience of the American people.
I'm encouraged by Prime Minister Maliki's determination to defeat our
common enemies and bring security and rule of law to all Iraqis. This
week he took another major step toward this objective when he completed
the formation of his cabinet -- naming a new Minister of Defense, a new
Minister of the Interior, and a new Minister of State for National
Security. These new leaders will help the government address its top
priorities: reconciliation, reconstruction, and putting an end to the
kidnappings, beheadings, and suicide bombings.
As they pursue these goals, they will have America's full support. On
Monday, I will convene my national security team and other key members
of my Cabinet at Camp David to discuss the way ahead in Iraq. On
Tuesday, Iraq's new Ambassador to the United States will join us, and we
will have a teleconference discussion with Prime Minister Maliki and
members of his cabinet. Together we will determine how to best deploy
America's resources in Iraq and achieve our shared goal of an Iraq that
can govern itself, sustain itself, and defend itself.
There's still difficult work ahead in Iraq. Yet this week, the
ideology of terror has suffered a severe blow. Al Qaida has lost its
leader in Iraq, the Iraqi people have completed a democratic government
that is determined to defend them, and freedom has achieved a great
victory in the heart of the Middle East.
Thank you for listening.