On the second anniversary of the September 11 terror strikes in the US, President George W Bush on Thursday called for stricter anti-terrorism laws and warned that the Al Qaeda network is plotting new attacks against Americans.
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In this new kind of war, the enemy's objective is "to strike us on our own territory and make our people live in fear. This danger places all of you, every person here and the people you work with, on the front lines of the war on terror," Bush said in a speech at the FBI's base in Quantico, Virginia.
"The attacks on this nation revealed the intentions of a determined and ruthless enemy, that still plots against our people," he said in the speech that came shortly after the Al-Jazeera TV channel aired a tape of Al Qaeda chief Osama
bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri praising the terrorists who carried out the 9/11 attacks.
But the US President said the last two years have been a "time of progress against the enemy."
"Terrorists have lost their training camps in Afghanistan. They lost the protection of the Taliban. Al Qaeda has lost nearly two-thirds of its known leaders," he said.
"Our methods for fighting this war at home are very different from those we use abroad, yet out strategy is the same: we are on the offensive against terror. We are determined to stop the enemy before they can strike our people," Bush said, calling for stricter anti-terrorism laws beyond the measures in the Patriot Act enacted after 9/11.
Citing shortcomings in the present legal system, Bush said terrorism-related crimes are not on the list of offences that are not eligible for bail.
"Suspected terrorists could be released, free to leave the country, or worse, before the trial. This disparity in the law makes no sense," he said.
He also pointed out that certain terrorist crimes that result in death do not qualify for capital punishment.
Calling for administrative subpoenas, which enable law enforcement officials to obtain certain records quickly, to be made available against terrorists, Bush said his proposals are consistent with the US Constitution.
Bush said America is following a clear strategy with three objectives in its war on terror -- destroy the terrorists; enlist international support for a free Iraq; and quickly transfer authority to the Iraqi people.
He urged other nations to help Iraqis build a free nation.
"We are helping the Iraqi people assume more of their own defence and move towards self-government. I recognise these are not easy tasks, but they are essential tasks. And this country will do whatever is necessary to win this victory
in the war on terror," Bush said.