Bush lists successes in Iraq

COLUMBIA, S.C., Nov. 2 (UPI) -- The situation in Iraq has improved since the military surge but the mission for the United States isn't over, U.S. President George Bush said Friday.

Bush listed positive trends during an address at Fort Jackson near Columbia, S.C., where he spoke to a class graduating from basic combat training.

Violence is less than it had been in some provinces and Baghdad neighborhoods, Bush said while acknowledging "parts of Iraq continue to be violent and difficult."

Even though national reconciliation hasn't progressed as much ash he would have liked, "it's taking place at local levels," Bush said.

"Given time and space, the normal Iraqis will take the necessary steps (to move to) a peaceful society," he said.

U.S. and Iraqi forces have captured or killed 1,500 insurgents per month since January, Bush said. Since the surge, the number of random bombing attacks declined by half and U.S. military deaths dropped as well.

Commenting to CNN about Bush's remarks, Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., said three components should be considered when discussing the war in Iraq. The first is the military, the second is national reconciliation and the third is regional stability, which "they have done very little in that regard."