US President George W. Bush vowed Saturday that the United States would stay in the fight in Iraq despite waning support among Americans for the war and his declining approval ratings.

"We pray for the families who have lost a loved one in freedom's cause. And we know that the best way to honor the lives that have been given in this struggle is to complete the mission, so wewill stay in the fight until the fight is won," Bush said in his weekly radio address.

Bush's message came amid increasing violence in Iraq and declining popular support inside the United States. Suicide bombing attacks struck Baghdad and the Shiite city of Hillah, south of Baghdad on Saturday, killing 25 people and injuring nearly 50.

According to an ABC News/Washington Post poll released on Tuesday, 56 percent of Americans disapprove of Bush's handling of Iraq. As many as 52 percent of Americans said they believe Bush "intentionally misled" Americans in making his case for war in Iraq.

In a nationally-televised speech on Tuesday, Bush admitted that the work in Iraq is difficult and dangerous, but he refused to set a timetable for the US troops to withdraw from the violence-stricken country.

"Setting an artificial timetable would send the wrong message to the Iraqis, who need to know that America will not leave before the job is done. It would send the wrong signal to our troops, who need to know that we are serious about completing the mission they are risking their lives to achieve," Bush said.

Source: Xinhua