U.S. President George W. Bush has expressed grief for American lives lost in the Iraq war, as the U.S. military death toll in the five-year conflict hit 4,000.
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Monday that Bush "spends time everyday thinking about those who've lost their lives on the battlefield."
"He grieves for the families who have lost loved ones, and he is constantly concerned about their well-being, " she added.
"The president has said the hardest thing a commander-in-chief will do is send young men and women into combat, and he's grieved for every lost American life, from the very first several years ago to those lost today," said Perino.
Like others in the Bush administration, Perino downplayed the significance of the number of deaths.
Rather, she stressed the importance of "successfully completing the mission," arguing that the troop "surge" plan has yielded security gains in Iraq.
Four U.S. soldiers died Sunday night in a roadside bombing in Iraq, bringing the U.S. toll in the war to 4,000.
The grim milestone comes less than a week after the fifth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
Estimates of the Iraqi death toll in the war range from about 80,000 to hundreds of thousands.
Source:Xinhua
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article