George Bush today described Pakistan as a central battleground in the so-called war on terror, alongside Iraq and Afghanistan.
In a barbed message for the new Pakistani president, Asif Ali Zardari, Bush said Pakistan had a “responsibility” to fight extremists “because every nation has an obligation to govern its own territory and make certain that it does not become a safe haven for terror.”
The remarks are not likely to go down well in Pakistan, which has been in uproar after a raid by US ground troops on Pakistani territory , the first foray of its kind since the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.
Zardari, who was today sworn-in as Pakistan's new president, is an outspoken advocate of tough action against extremists in Pakistan, despite broad public dislike of US foreign policy in the region.
Bush's comments came in a speech to the US National Defence University in Washington, where he announced the withdrawal of 8,000 combat troops from Iraq by next February.
But there will be little respite for an overstretched US military as Bush also announced a troop rise in Afghanistan, currently home to 31,000 US soldiers. He said he was sending roughly 4,500 more troops to face a resurgent Taliban.
More than half of Bush's address was devoted to Afghanistan, which the US president described as “the front where this struggle first began”.
Bush highlighted decisions to vastly increase the size of the Afghan national army, which will grow from its current size of 60,000 troops to 120,000, instead of 80,000.
“Afghanistan's success is critical to the security of America and our partners in the free world,” he said. “And for all the good work we have done in that country, it is clear we must do even more.”
Bush said a marine battalion scheduled to go to Iraq in November would instead be sent to Afghanistan. One army combat brigade will follow.
The Iraq troop cut will probably be Bush's last major decision in a highly unpopular war that has seen his ratings plummet. He hinted that more troops could return to the US in the first half of 2009 if conditions improve.
“Here is the bottom line: while the enemy in Iraq is still dangerous, we have seized the offensive, and Iraqi forces are becomingly increasingly capable of leading and winning the fight,” Bush said.
US commanders have been divided on the rate of troop cuts in Iraq and today's plan is a compromise. General David Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, had argued in favour of maintaining current levels until next June.
Others, including Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, believed a faster withdrawal from Iraq represented a small risk compared with the gain that could be made by sending reinforcements to Afghanistan.
Anthony Cordesman, an analyst at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said the plan reflected the concern of US commanders that a rush to reduce US forces could lead to instability at a crucial moment in Iraq.
“This plan does, however, mean continuing stress on both the active and reserve forces,” said Cordesman.
Democrats today criticised the slow pace of withdrawal from Iraq as the troop cut will still leave about 140,000 combat troops – about the same level as before last year's troop surge.
The party's presidential nominee, Barack Obama, said Bush's decision to divert resources to Afghanistan was slow, insufficient and “comes up short”.
“It is not enough troops, and not enough resources, with not enough urgency,” Obama said, adding that he believed Bush did not understand that Afghanistan and Pakistan were the central front in the “war on terror”, not Iraq.
Obama has advocated pulling all combat forces out of Iraq within 16 months of taking office. John McCain, his Republican rival, has said he would rely on the advice of US military commanders to determine the timing and pace of troop reductions. Both agree on the need for more troops for Afghanistan, amid growing concern that Nato is losing ground to Taliban insurgents.
