Bush pitches war strategy, more dead in Iraq

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (Reuters) - U.S. troops will be able to withdraw from Iraq as local forces gain competence, U.S. President George W. Bush said on Wednesday, but near Baghdad the killing of nine people underscored a dire security situation two weeks before Iraq's milestone election. 

Bush sought to explain his Iraq strategy in the face of mounting public criticism over his handling of the war and calls for a troop pullout. He rejected setting a withdrawal timetable and said the United States wants Iraqis to take the lead in fighting insurgents, then assume responsibility without major foreign assistance.