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12/22/2004:

"Bush Says Troops Were on Mission of Peace"

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A somber President Bush said on Tuesday U.S. troops killed in a deadly attack in northern Iraq were on a mission of peace as the heavy death toll presented him with a fresh challenge amid dwindling U.S. support for the war.

Bush paid a Christmas-time visit to families of troops wounded in battle at Walter Reed Army Medical Center on the same day an attack on a tented dining hall at a U.S. military base killed 24 people -- most of them Americans -- and wounded about 60 in the Iraqi city of Mosul.

``We pray for them. We send our heartfelt condolences to the loved ones who suffered today. We just want them to know that the mission is a vital mission for peace,'' Bush said.
Full Article: nytimes.com