CRAWFORD, Texas — President Bush pledged yesterday that American forces would be out of Liberia by Oct. 1 as the Liberian government and rebels signed a peace accord to end a bloody three-year insurgency.

"It's short-term," Mr. Bush told Armed Forces Network in an interview he gave Thursday but that was made public yesterday. "We have a special obligation in Liberia to help with humanitarian aid. And therefore we will."

The president said: "We'll be out of there by October the 1st. We've got U.N. blue-helmeted troops ready to replace our limited number of troops."

The promise addresses fears that U.S. forces, committed to long-term deployments in countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan, would face an open-ended mission in Liberia, where 200 Marines were deployed last week.

The release of the president's remarks came as Liberia's government and the rebels signed a peace deal...