Blair: New war on terror

The prime minister has come under fresh fire after admitting that British troops are still at war in Iraq.

Opponents of the conflict spoke out after Tony Blair conceded that coalition forces were now waged against the "forces of evil" in Iraq.

Blair's remarks came following talks with his Iraqi counterpart Iyad Allawi on Sunday.

The leaders focused on the international significance of winning the struggle against the insurgents and terrorists who killed 300 people in Iraq in the last week.

Blair said: "In this conflict now taking place in Iraq, this is the crucible in which the future of this global terrorism will be determined.

"Either it will succeed and this terrorism will grow, or we will succeed, the Iraqi people will succeed and this global terrorism will
be delivered a huge defeat."

Allawi added: "We are succeeding in Iraq. We are succeeding against the forces of evil."

Handling

Shadow defence secretary Nicholas Soames said the insurgency did not undermine the reasons for going to war, but spoke out against the government's handling of the situation.

"I think it was right that Saddam Hussein was removed from power, that Iraq was liberated and there's now an opportunity for Iraq to move forward," he said.

"But we cannot ignore the fact that this reconstruction was very badly handled to start with."

Soames also alleged that the true extent of the violence in the British controlled south of the country was being kept quiet.

But the prime minister's official spokesman denied the claim - adding that January's election was still going ahead despite the continuing carnage.

The Liberal Democrats, meanwhile, have used the opening day of their conference to focus on the Iraq issue.

Speaking ahead of his address to delegates, foreign affairs spokesman Sir Menzies Campbell said: "Tony Blair will find it much easier to enrol people in this second war - which has to be won - if he apologises for getting us into the first war in the first place."

Leader Charles Kennedy, speaking on Sunday, was equally forthright, demanding: "Apologise. Say sorry for the damage you have done, the anguish you have caused, the wrongs you can never now right.

"At the very least prime minister, just say sorry."

Iraqi premier Allawi, who insists elections will go ahead in January, was set to meet with foreign secretary Jack Straw, defence secretary Geoff Hoon and international development secretary Hilary Benn on Monday.