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Bush speech hails Iraq 'victory' Bush speech hails Iraq 'victory'
(40 minutes later)
President George W Bush has delivered a speech to mark the fifth anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq.President George W Bush has delivered a speech to mark the fifth anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq.
Speaking at the Pentagon, Mr Bush said "removing Saddam Hussein from power was the right decision".Speaking at the Pentagon, Mr Bush said "removing Saddam Hussein from power was the right decision".
And he went on to say that the recent "surge" of US troops to Iraq has brought about "a major strategic victory in the broader war on terror".And he went on to say that the recent "surge" of US troops to Iraq has brought about "a major strategic victory in the broader war on terror".
The speech comes amid criticism in the US of the war, with some critics pointing to its high cost.The speech comes amid criticism in the US of the war, with some critics pointing to its high cost.
'Necessary costs' In his speech, Mr Bush dismissed what he called "exaggerated estimates".
In his speech, Mr Bush dismissed what he called the "exaggerated estimates" of the cost. He said: "The costs are necessary when we consider the cost of a strategic victory for our enemies in Iraq."
And he added: "The costs are necessary when we consider the cost of a strategic victory for our enemies in Iraq." New allies
The BBC's Richard Lister in Washington said that the speech conspicuously lacked any references to Iraqi weapons of mass destruction - the removal of which had been the stated aim of the war. Mr Bush argued that fighting Islamic militants in Iraq helped to prevent attacks on targets in the US.
President Bush appeared to be attempting to redefine the invasion as a mission to remove Saddam Hussein, our correspondent said. "The terrorists who murder the innocent in the streets of Baghdad want to murder the innocent in the streets of American cities," he said.
"Defeating this enemy in Iraq will make it less likely we will face this enemy here at home."
He also made the case that by working with Sunni Arabs from the Awakening Councils to defeat al-Qaeda, the US was successfully driving a wedge between militants and the Arab mainstream.
"In Iraq," he said, "we are witnessing the first large-scale Arab uprising against Osama Bin Laden. And the significance of this development cannot be overstated."
Meanwhile in Iraq, a female suicide bomber killed six people at a bus station in Balad Ruz in Diyala province, according to Iraqi police.
And near the northern city of Kirkuk, US troops shot dead three Iraqi policemen by mistake, an incident officials described as "a tragic accident, which was sincerely regretted".