SYDNEY, Oct 15: Australia’s defence force chief at the time of the invasion of Iraq said in remarks published on Sunday that he now believes the war has increased the threat of Islamic militancy.

The comments by retired general Peter Cosgrove come just days after Britain’s army chief caused a furore by saying British troops in Iraq were exacerbating security problems around the world.

“If people say that there has been an energising of the jihadist movement through the protracted war in Iraq — well that’s pretty obvious,” Cosgrove told the Sunday Telegraph.

The highly respected Vietnam veteran, who retired last year, said he had apologised to national police chief Mick Keelty for criticising his comments that the Iraq war had inspired the 2004 terrorist attacks in Madrid.

“Things have moved on. I have got no reason to argue the weighty assessments that I am seeing,” Cosgrove said.

The Australian government of Prime Minister John Howard, a close ally of Washington, contributed troops to the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and maintains a force of some 1,300 involved in Iraqi operations.

Britain’s army chief General Richard Dannatt said in an interview with the Daily Mail newspaper on Friday that British troops in Iraq should pull out soon.

“I don’t say the difficulties we are experiencing round the world are caused by our presence in Iraq but undoubtedly our presence in Iraq exacerbates them,” he said.—AFP