Bush acknowledges 'grim' images of daily Iraq violence

As part of a campaign to overcome growing public disquiet about the US presence in Iraq, Bush set out his "two-track strategy" to overcome insurgents and establish democracy.

"The military track of our strategy is to defeat the terrorists and continue helping Iraqis take greater responsibility for defending their freedom," he said in his weekly radio address.

"The images we see on television are a grim reminder that the enemies of freedom in Iraq are ruthless killers with no regard for human life."

Bush said "the terrorists' objective is to break the will of America and of the Iraqi people before democracy can take root."

The bitter insurgency and the mounting toll on US forces in recent months have severely dented support for the Iraq campaign among the public and lawmakers.

But Bush highlighted how the US-nominated Iraqi Governing Council had kept working through insurgent threats and the transfer of sovereignty one year ago went ahead as did the country's elections in January.

"Now the terrorists are trying to undermine the new government and intimidate Iraqis from joining the growing Iraqi security forces. Yet democracy is moving forward, and more and more Iraqis are defying the terrorists by joining the democratic process."