CRAWFORD, Tex. — Two years after initiating war against Saddam Hussein, President Bush said yesterday that Iraq has become a new ally in the war on terrorism while inspiring democracy across the Islamic world.

Speaking in his weekly radio address on the second anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Bush said the ouster of Saddam and the establishment of the first pillars of democracy in Iraq are triggering momentous change elsewhere.

Pointing to recent elections in Afghanistan and Iraq, the popular uprising that has caused Syria to begin withdrawing troops from Lebanon, and the seeming reduction of tension between Israelis and Palestinians, Bush said: "These are landmark events in the history of freedom."

"Only the fire of liberty can purge the ideologies of murder by offering hope to those who yearn to live free," Bush said.

"Iraqis can take pride in building a government that answers to its people and honors their country's unique heritage," he said. "The victory of freedom in Iraq is strengthening a new ally in the war on terror and inspiring democratic reformers from Beirut to Tehran."

"... Today, women can vote in Afghanistan, Palestinians are breaking the old patterns of violence, and hundreds of thousands of Lebanese are rising up to demand their sovereignty and democratic rights."

Bush led the nation to war against Iraq on the premise that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction that he might turn over to terrorists. No such weapons were ever found. Bush said yesterday that the war was launched "to disarm a brutal regime, free its people and defend the world from a grave danger."

Those objectives have come at a steep price. More than 1,500 U.S. soldiers have been killed, and 11,300 have been wounded. Also, from 14,000 to 100,000 Iraqis are estimated to have been killed since the fighting began. The war also has cost U.S. taxpayers about $200 billion.

"I know that nothing can end the pain of the families who have lost loved ones in this struggle," Bush said. "But they can know that their sacrifice has added to America's security and the freedom of the world."

Nearly 150,000 U.S. troops remain in Iraq two years after the start of the war, and U.S. officials are offering no timetable as to when they are likely to come home.

"In the end, Iraqis must be able to defend their own country, and we will help that proud, new nation secure its liberty," Bush said. "And then our troops will return home with the honor they have earned."

Material from Bloomberg News

is included in this report.