Bush warns against Iraq withdrawal

President George W Bush has warned a swift troop withdrawal from Iraq would have "devastating" consequences for US security exactly four years after the war started.

In a televised statement from the White House, he appealed for patience while acknowledging there will be more "bad days" ahead.

He said: "Four years after this war began, the fight is difficult but it can be won. It will be won if we have the courage and resolve to see it through.

"It can be tempting to look at the challenges in Iraq and conclude our best option is to pack up and go home. That may be satisfying in the short run, but I believe the consequences for American security would be devastating."

He said more than half the extra troops he is sending have arrived in Baghdad to help secure the city against terrorists.

Meanwhile, a poll has found that most Iraqis have little optimism about the future of their country.

Just 18 per cent of the more than 2,000 people surveyed have confidence in US-led forces operating in the country which has been brought to its knees by sectarian attacks.

The poll found however that 86 per cent of people are still concerned about a household member being a victim of violence and 67 per cent said reconstruction efforts since the invasion had been ineffective.

The survey was published as three car bombs and two roadside bombs killed 18 people and wounded 37 in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk.

The blasts happened in different parts of the city but exploded at about the same time.

In central Baghdad, a bomb left in a bag near a mosque killed three people and wounded ten.

Earlier, two police stations were blown up by suspected al-Qaeda militants in Dhuluiya, situated around 50 miles north of Baghdad, after policemen were told to leave.

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