Bush denounces embassy attack

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 (UPI) -- The attack on the U.S. Embassy in Yemen is a reminder that "we are at war," U.S. President George Bush said Wednesday in Washington.

Noting several Yemeni security officers died protecting the embassy in Sanaa, Bush said, "This attack is a reminder that we are at war with extremists who will murder innocent people to achieve their ideological objectives."

Yemeni officials said 16 people died Wednesday morning when two bomb-laden cars and terrorists tried to breach the wall surrounding the embassy compound.

One reason for terrorists to engage in attacks is to "cause the United States to lose our nerve" and withdraw from different regions in the world, Bush said after a meeting with Army Gen. David Petraeus, the outgoing top U.S. commander in Iraq.

"And our message is that we want to help governments survive extremists," he said. "We want people to live normal lives."

Bush also praised Petraeus's work while in Iraq, saying he "was asked to do a very difficult job and he did it with distinction and honor." The United States and the world, the president said, are "better off for it."

Petraeus is to take over U.S. Central Command, which includes Iraq and Afghanistan.