President George W. Bush on Wednesday said he would only order further troop reductions in Iraq if it would not “jeopardise” the improvement in security that has occurred since the military “surge” took effect last year.

Speaking at the Pentagon on the fifth anniversary of the Iraq invasion, Mr Bush said the war had been “longer and harder and more costly than we anticipated”. He also warned that the security gains in Iraq were “fragile and reversible”.

“We have learned through hard experience what happens when we pull our forces back too fast,” said Mr Bush. “The terrorists and extremists step in, they fill vacuums, establish safe havens and use them to spread chaos and carnage. ... Read full article