US President George W. Bush on Monday emphasized on a two-tier strategy against terrorism in wake of bombing attacks in London last week, describing Iraq as the " central front" in the global war on terror.

Last week's bombings in London show that "there is only one course of action. We will continue to take this fight to the enemy and we will fight till this enemy is defeated", Bush said in an address delivered at the FBI academy in Quantico, Virginia.

"We will keep the terrorists on the run until they have no place left to hide," he said.

On the domestic front, the president once again urged the US Congress to extend provisions of the Patriot Act which will otherwise expire at the end of this year.

The provisions, enacted in the wake of September 11 attacks, allow controversial measures to detain and interrogate terror suspects.

Bush said since the terror threats will not disappear at year's end, the Patriot Act should not expire too.

Calling Iraq the "central front" in the war on terror, Bush said if the Middle East "grows in democracy and prosperity", the terrorists will be left without sponsors, recruits and hopes to " turn that region into a base of attacks against America and its allies".

White House officials said the speech had been planned before the London attacks, but the incident make his remarks "even more significant".

The address is delivered at a time when Bush's job approval rating slips. Last month, an AP-Ipsos survey found most Americans thought the president did better in fighting against terror than in handling the Iraq problem, social security and other domestic issues.

The war on terror is regarded as a "strong point" for Bush and a major reason behind his re-election last year.

Source: Xinhua