Bush vows to protect the referendum

The US President George W. Bush vowed to continue attacking the gunmen in Iraq in order to prevent what he called plans to undermine the referendum operation on the constitution set on October 15.

Bush told journalists after a meeting with his defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld and senior military aids that more than 30% of the Iraqi forces play an increasing role in fighting those armed men, noting that progress attained in training these forces is one of the basic conditions which will decide the date for the withdrawal of the American forces from Iraq.

However, the American Gen. David Petrus indicated that the matter will take some time until greater number of Iraqi units will be able to work without the American help.

Petrus told journalists at the Pentagon that only one contingent out of 115 in the Iraqi army and police is able to work independently without American forces's support, and more than 36 of these units, each composed of 800 soldiers, can play a leading role in helping the Americans to carry out a key role in fighting the gunmen.