US President George W. Bush on Thursday night approved the troop withdrawal timetable set by General David Petraeus earlier in the week, all but ensuring that at least 130,000 US soldiers will remain in Iraq until the end of next summer. He defied calls for a dramatic change of course, saying the US military role would stretch “way beyond” his presidency.

In a live televised address to the nation, Mr Bush said the 30,000-strong troop “surge” he ordered in January had achieved significant security gains on the ground, in spite of the slow pace of political reconciliation in Baghdad.