Britain foreign secretary strongly criticises war on terror

Mumbai: Britain's foreign secretary has strongly criticised the so-called "war on terror," urging the international community to respond to future attacks by "championing the rule of law, not subordinating it."

David Miliband on Thursday also called for the shut down of the US prison camp at Guantanamo Bay and a launch of new era of "democratic opportunity rather than fear and oppression."

Miliband's speech in Mumbai, the site of a November terror attack that left 164 dead, was among the first public criticism by a senior British official of how the battle against terrorism has been conducted since 2001. Miliband wrote an editorial published on Thursday in the Guardian newspaper that made a similar argument.

Miliband notes that Britain's government hasn't used the phrase "war on terror" since 2006.