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Bush Says U.S. "Won't Rest" During Ramadan
WASHINGTON, Nov 2 (News Agencies) - U.S. President George W. Bush said the United States "won't rest" the war on terrorism during Ramadan, but left day-to-day decisions about strikes on Afghanistan throughout the Muslim holy month to the military.
"The enemy won't rest during Ramadan and neither will we. We're going to pursue this war until we achieve our objectives," he said during a public appearance in the White House Rose Garden.
"As to the specific times and dates, we'll let the military speak to that. They're in charge of this operation. This is not a political campaign, this is a war," he said, accompanied by visiting Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Bush ordered the attacks October 7 after Afghanistan's Taliban rulers refused to hand over Osama bin Laden, the Saudi dissident he blames for deadly September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Several predominately-Muslim nations, including Indonesia and key ally Pakistan, have opposed bombing during Ramadan, which starts around November 17.
Bush also declared himself "very satisfied" with the U.S.-led war on terrorism and upbraided critics who have questioned the results of the bombing campaign, saying: "This is not an instant gratification war."
"The Taliban's air defenses have been completely demolished. Their assets - whatever assets they had - have been demolished," said Bush. "And we're slowly but surely tightening the net to achieve our objective," he said.
"We're going to get him, and them," Bush promised, referring to bin Laden and his network of supporters.
Obasanjo, a Christian whose nation is roughly 50% Muslim, lavishly praised Bush and said "if leaders who are brought into power through democratic means will abandon their responsibility to terrorists, then they might as well go home."
"The president, in that case, will have to go back to his ranch, and in that case, I will have to go back to my chicken farm," said Obasanjo, the first African leader to visit the White House since the September attacks.
The Nigerian president also lent his voice to Bush's message to the Muslim world that Washington is fighting a war on terrorism, not Islam, and that terrorism was a threat to people of all faiths.
"Whatever ideal they stand for," said Obasanjo, "their ideal will amount to nothing if terrorism rules the world. Whatever ambition or aspirations they have, their ambition and aspiration will come to naught if terrorism is allowed to take over the ruling of the world."
Amid a widening bio-terrorism scare tied to a spate of anthrax-laced letters, Bush assured the jittery U.S. public that "we're doing everything we can to find out all the facts."
The U.S. leader also defended his administration's decision to publicize a vague but ominous warning that new terrorist attacks could come this week, saying: "We're fighting a two-front war."
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