U.S. president George W. Bush, aboard an aircraft carrier steaming home from war, said “the United States and our allies have prevailed” against Saddam Hussein and will confront any nation tied to terrorists. “Major combat operations in Iraq have ended,” Bush said on Thursday evening from the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln, which launched thousands of airstrikes on Iraq. Bush addressed cheering Navy personnel who crowded on to the deck to hear their commander in chief. Bush sought to give the United States a closure to the fighting while avoiding a sweeping claim of overall victory. He said much still needed to be done, including bringing order to the country, finding weapons of mass destruction, creating a democratic government and pursuing leaders of the fallen regime, including Saddam. But he stopped short of declaring victory or an end to the war. Such declarations could trigger international laws requiring the speedy release of prisoners of war, limiting efforts to go after deposed Iraqi leaders and designating the United States as an occupying power. The president reiterated his foreign policy principles, promising to target anyone who plans attacks against the United States and any country that supports terrorists. While promising to be a “loyal friend” to any nation that helps his anti-terrorist campaign, Bush said: “any outlaw regime that has ties to terrorist groups, and seeks or possesses weapons of mass destruction, is a grave danger to the civilised world, and will be confronted”. He has also dubbed Iraq, Iran and North Korea an “axis of evil”.