US won't abandon Iraq

In a series of speeches, Bush is trying to convince an increasingly sceptical public that he has a winning strategy for Iraq amid widespread concerns that sectarian violence is turning into civil war.

Speaking to the City Club of Cleveland, Bush sprinkled his characteristic optimism with a more sombre description than usual of the situation, saying bluntly that Iraq remains an uphill battle three years after the US-led invasion.

"The situation on the ground remains tense. In the face of continued reports about killings and reprisals, I understand how some Americans have had their confidence shaken," Bush said. "They wonder what I see that they don't."

But he insisted progress was being made that the news media are not covering and he cited as an example the northern Iraqi town of Tal Afar.

US and Iraqi forces have wrested the town from the grip of al-Qaeda and insurgents, he said, and it is now "a free city that gives reason for hope for a free Iraq."

US and Iraqi forces had said the town was used as a conduit for smuggling in equipment and foreign fighters from Syria on the way to cities across central Iraq.

Bush is struggling with public approval ratings that have dropped to all-time lows of his presidency as the public becomes increasingly gloomy about US involvement in Iraq, where more than 2,300 American troops have died.

He faced some sceptical questioning, including from a woman who asked him whether he believed the Iraq war was a sign of the Apocalypse. But he also heard some friendly comments such as a man who invited him to a Hungarian-American celebration in October.A Newsweek magazine poll conducted last week showed Bush's approval rating fell to 36 percent, down 21 points from a year ago, amid discontent about Iraq. The survey said 65 percent of Americans were dissatisfied with Bush's handling of the war.