Bush Promises Gains In Security, No Details On Troop Withdrawals

WASHINGTON — President Bush pledged yesterday that security gains will continue in Iraq but offered no new details about how that promise will affect the timing of additional American troop withdrawals.

In thanking Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, who until recently served as the no. 2 commander in Iraq, Mr. Bush said, "The gains that you and your teams have made will continue on, because stakes in Iraq are essential for peace, essential for freedom, and essential for the security of this country."

For the past 15 months, Mr. Odierno was the top day-to-day commander in Iraq under General Petraeus. He oversaw the buildup of military forces that Mr. Bush ordered in January 2007. That troop expansion, now being phased out, is credited with improving security and stability in Iraq.