Iraq war 'cause celebre' for jihadists

Washington: A secret intelligence report has revealed that the Iraq war has become a "cause celebre" for Islamic extremists.

It also said that the war was being used as a recruiting tool for jihadist movements across the world.

Parts of the declassified document "Trends in Global Terrorism: Implications for the United States" were released to the public after being leaked to the media.

The main conclusion of the report, which was compiled by the 16 US spy agencies, was that: "The Iraq conflict has become the 'cause celebre' for jihadists, breeding a deep resentment of US involvement in the Muslim world and cultivating supporters for the global jihadist movement."

US President George W Bush said he disagreed with those who said the Iraq war was a mistake and that he wanted the document released to stop the American public being confused by selective leaks.

The report also said Al Qaeda would continue to pose "the greatest threat" to the United States by a single group but added that there were indications that jihadists were increasing in number and geographic dispersion.

White House homeland security adviser Frances Townsend said that estimate came in part from reviewing the increasing number of hostile Internet postings.

"If this trend continues, threats to U.S. interests at home and abroad will become more diverse, leading to increasing attacks worldwide," the report said.