CAMP DAVID, Md. - President George W. Bush said on Monday Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's successor as al Qaeda's Iraq chief would be on "our list" of targets, and said U.S. troops must stay for now to help secure the country.
Bush spoke after a day of talks among his national security team about how to take advantage of what Washington considers a window of opportunity after formation of Iraq's unity government and the killing of Zarqawi.
Last Wednesday an F-16 jet fighter dropped two 500-pound bombs on a Zarqawi hideout, killing him and several others. The group named a successor on Monday even as Bush talked by video conference with his war commanders in Baghdad about the way forward in Iraq.
"I think the successor to Zarqawi is going to be on our list to bring to justice," Bush said.
The Zarqawi death and completion of Iraq's unity government led by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has raised hopes among some Americans of a U.S. troop drawdown.
Bush made clear the troops must stay to provide security but that Maliki and his government will make an assessment on their needs.
"Whatever we do will based upon the conditions on the ground," Bush said, turning aside a question about possible troop reductions.
He said the best way to defeat the insurgency is to have a functioning unity government capable of defending itself and providing tangible benefits to the people.
"No question the fighting is tough, no question the enemy is violent and mean, but the enemy doesn't stand for anything," Bush said. "I keep reminding the American people that the stakes are worth it."
