Washington - Returning from a visit to Iraq, Rep. John Salazar today reiterated his belief that U.S. troop withdrawals should be based on conditions there and not on the calendar.

"Our troops are very committed. They are very proud of what they are doing," said Salazar, D-Manassa. "Everyone I talked to felt their mission was not complete."

Salazar traveled to Iraq, Kuwait and Germany last week along with other House members on the Veterans' Affairs Committee. Salazar's comments today came as President Bush spoke on the need to stay committed in Iraq.

Salazar, a military veteran, disagrees with many fellow Democrats - including his brother, Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo. - who are calling for a troop withdrawal timetable.

"This administration's Iraq policy has been an unmitigated disaster and has set us back in the war on terror," Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said in response to Bush's speech. "Our troops are stuck in a civil war. The violence is worse than ever."

John Salazar, who flew by helicopter into Fallujah to meet with troops, said he believes they want to stay until their work is done. He said he didn't get the sense that they are frustrated, and talked of wounded military members in hospitals who wanted to return to help their units.

But Salazar also conceded he has conflicting opinions about what the future holds for Iraq.

Reflecting on his previous trip to the country 18 months ago, "I am more optimistic in some respects that we are turning control over to the Iraqis," Salazar said, citing improved numbers of trained Iraqi security forces. "But at the same time I am not as optimistic when I see the sectarian violence that's breaking out."

Salazar met with Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, who repeated what he said the first week in August that the hope of troop reductions by year's end is diminishing, and that civil war is possible.

Salazar believes some of that violence will ease as American troops eventually pull out. "We're seen as occupiers," he said. "Once Iraqis are in control, I believe there'll be less violence."

Salazar said he wanted to find out more about what's needed to help veterans of the war. Many will need treatment for post traumatic stress disorder, he said.

And Congress, he added, needs to fight for more funding for that and the latest prosthetic technology, given the grievous injuries suffered by some fighters.