U.S. President George W. Bush on Saturday hailed a "rebirth of freedom" in Afghanistan, as he sought to emphasize close ties with the country's government. "We're helping Afghanistan's elected government solidify these democratic gains and deliver real change," Bush said in his weekly radio address. "A nation that once knew only the terror of the Taliban is now seeing a rebirth of freedom, and we will help them succeed." Bush will meet Afghan President Hamid Karzai at the White House on Monday in the wake of violence sparked by a now retracted Newsweek story that said the Holy Quran was desecrated at the Guantanamo Bay prison. Sixteen people were killed and more than 100 injured in the protests in Afghanistan, which were the worst since U.S. forces ousted the Taliban in late 2001. Bush did not mention either the protests or the Newsweek story in his radio address, according to Reuters. Bush said he would discuss with Karzai the country's "remarkable progress." Linking what he said was democratic progress to the "war on terror," he said militants have been dealt "devastating blows." --MORE 1053 Local Time 0753 GMT
