Chanting ?bring our troops home?, tens of thousands of anti-war protesters rallied in front of the US Capitol on Saturday to pressure the government to get out of Iraq. Veterans and military families joined lawmakers, peace groups and actors including Vietnam war protester Jane Fonda to urge Congress and President Bush to stop funding the war and pull troops from Iraq.

?When I served in the war, I thought I was serving honorably. Instead, I was sent to war ... for causes that have proved fraudulent,? said Iraq war veteran Garett Reppenhagen. ?We need to put pressure on our elected government,? he said to cheers from a sign-waving crowd. Tens of thousands of people attended the rally on the National Mall, according to a park police officer. For more than two hours, speakers criticized Bush and the US presence in Iraq before protesters marched around the Capitol. Bush?s approval ratings have dropped to some of the weakest of his presidency and polls show a majority of Americans disapprove of his plan to send another 21,500 troops to Iraq. But Bush said he has no intention of backing off his plan. Asked about the protests, White House national security adviser spokesman Gordon Johndroe said Bush ?understands that Americans want to see a conclusion to the war in Iraq and the new strategy is designed to do just that.?

The demonstrations come amid growing efforts by lawmakers to protest Bush?s plans in Iraq. The Senate Foreign Relations committee passed a resolution on Wednesday opposing the plan to send more troops.

Deborah CHARLES