The so-called war on terror has been a "disaster" and British military policy in Iraq and Afghanistan must be fundamentally changed if al-Qaeda is to be defeated, a report released today states.

The report, by the Oxford Research Group think tank, calls for major changes in foreign policy and warns of the dangers of military action against Iran.

Iraq has become a training ground for violent jihadists and British and US forces should withdraw from the country immediately, it adds.

Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, will update MPs in the Commons this afternoon following his recent visit to Iraq, when he announced that 1,000 British troops could be back in the UK by Christmas. The latest report claims the current fight against international terrorism has failed and has instead played into the hands of al-Qaeda.

The dismantling of the Taleban regime in Afghanistan in 2001-2 was of "direct value" to al-Qaeda and the extraordinary rendition and detention of terrorist suspects a "constant source of propaganda".

The report, Towards Sustainable Security - Alternatives to the War on Terror, calls for a complete withdrawal from Iraq, a scaling-down of military operations in Afghanistan, and the ending of extraordinary rendition and detention without trial.

The report's author, Paul Rogers, said: "Every aspect of the war on terror has been counterproductive in Iraq and Afghanistan, from the loss of civilian life through to mass detentions without trial. In short, it has been a disaster. Western countries simply have to face up to the dangerous mistakes of the past six years and recognise the need for new policies."

War On Terror A Disaster, Says Think Tank Report Urging Policy Changes