US President George W. Bush, who has contended that the United States was winning the war in Iraq, said the first time that American forces were not winning there.

He also said the military would be expanded to fight a long-term battle against terrorism.

Bush did not say on Tuesday that the US was losing the war, which began in March 2003 and has cost the lives of nearly 3,000 troops. Instead, when asked during an interview with The Washington Post whether the war was being won, the president borrowed the phrasing of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine General Peter Pace.

"You know, I think an interesting construct that General Pace uses is, 'We're not winning, we're not losing.' There's been some very positive developments. And you take a step back and look at progress in Iraq, you say, well, it's amazing constitutional democracy in the heart of the Middle East, which is a remarkable development in itself," he said.

However, Bush also acknowledged the threat of sectarian violence, saying that part of the policy review for Iraq the administration has undertaken will deal with how to help the Iraqis provide for their own security.

"And I'll come forward with a plan that will enable us to achieve that objective," he said.

Two weeks before the November elections, which shifted control of Congress from the Republicans to the Democrats, Bush asserted that "absolutely we're winning" in Iraq.

In other remarks during the Oval Office interview on Tuesday, Bush said he plans to increase the overall size of the US military, which has been stretched by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He said he has asked his new defence chief, Robert Gates, to report back to him with a plan to increase ground forces.

The president did not say how many troops might be added, but he said he agreed with officials in the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill that the military is stretched too thin to deal with demands of fighting terrorism.

"I'm inclined to believe that we do need to increase our troops the Army, the Marines," Bush told the Post.

The White House said Bush's decision about expanding the size of the military "is necessary for the long term obligations in the war on terror," presidential spokesman Tony Snow said.

Editor: Yan