Bush Ignores Abuse Outrage in Address

Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai was last night on his way to the US, promising to confront George Bush over the growing scandal about American abuse of Afghan prisoners. However, Bush in his weekly radio address yesterday, while heaping praise on Afghanistan's post-Taliban government, did not acknowledge the outrage over prisoner abuse in Afghanistan and at Guantanamo.

'We're helping Afghanistan's elected government solidify these democratic gains and deliver real change. A nation that once knew only the terror of the Taliban is now seeing a rebirth of freedom, and we will help them succeed,' Bush said. He added that he believed Islamic militants had been dealt a series of 'devastating blows' in recent encounters with American troops.