Oct. 16 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush reaffirmed his support for Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government and assured him there's no timeline for withdrawing U.S. troops, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said.

Bush spoke with the Iraqi leader in a 15-minute telephone call today and during the course of the conversation, Maliki asked about ``rumors'' that U.S. support for the struggling democracy is waning, Snow said.

Bush ``underscored his commitment to the democratically elected government of Iraq, encouraging the prime minister to ignore rumors that the U.S. government was seeking to impose a timeline on the Maliki government'' to quell sectarian violence, Snow told reporters at the White House. ``There's no timeline'' for ending U.S. support, Snow said.

Bush initiated the call to Maliki to discuss the security situation in Baghdad and the need ``to use appropriate political and military action'' to tackle the problems of terrorism and militias, Snow said. The goal is to ``have the Iraqis'' in charge, he said.

As violence has surged in Iraq, U.S. public support for the war has dropped, according to most polls. The increase in sectarian fighting also is taking a toll on U.S. forces. The Defense Department said 52 military personnel have been killed in Iraq so far in October, including seven yesterday. That compares with 61 who died in combat for all of September, the highest monthly tally since April.

`Rumors'

``The prime minister was concerned there have been rumors that there was a two-month timeline,'' Snow said. It may have been a reference to comments by Senator John Warner, a Virginia Republican, who said U.S. policy may have to change in two to three months if conditions fail to improve, Snow said, adding that he was ``speculating'' about the source of the rumor.

Warner, chairman of the Armed Service Committee and a leading Republican voice on defense matters, yesterday reaffirmed his view that the situation in Iraq is sliding ``sideways.''

``You can see some movement forward, but a lot of movement back,'' Warner said on CBS's ``Face the Nation'' program. While the administration must ``rethink all the options,'' Warner said he doesn't endorse a rapid withdrawal of U.S. forces.

A commission headed by former Secretary of State James Baker, set up by Congress to review U.S. strategy, is set to make its recommendations before the end of the year. Baker also has said the Maliki's government has a limited amount of time to demonstrate it can get control of the country and quell sectarian violence.

`Don't Worry'

Snow said Bush wanted to make sure Maliki understood that U.S. support remains. Maliki raised the question in the phone call because ``he was concerned,'' and ``the president said, `Don't worry,''' according to Snow.

Bush agrees with Warner that the U.S. must adapt and change its approach in Iraq as conditions change, Snow said.

Sectarian violence raged across the country today. In Baghdad two car bombers killed 20 Shiite Muslims and wounded 17 as they gathered in a market to pray and break the daylight fast observed during Ramadan, Agence France-Presse reported. In addition, the brother of the chief prosecutor in former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's genocide trial was killed by gunmen in Baghdad.

The tempo of violence between Iraq's Shiite and Sunni Muslims increased after the bombing of a Shiite shrine in Samarra in February. Almost 6,600 Iraqi civilians were killed in July and August, the United Nations said in a report last month.

Asked whether the U.S. is winning in Iraq, Snow said, ``We're making progress.'' The civilian deaths in Iraq should spur the Maliki government to take the actions necessary to quell the violence and unify the country, he said.

``The incentive is that people get blown up everyday,'' he said. ``These are the people taking the hits.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Roger Runningen in Washington at rrunningen@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: October 16, 2006 13:52 EDT