"The report said the Iraq war had radicalised disillusioned youth. The Iraq war has acted as a "recruiting sergeant" for extremists, a research paper prepared for the Ministry of Defence's Defence Academy says."

"The paper on Pakistan admitted serious failings in the war on terror, the BBC's Newsnight programme has learned."

"Iraq has served to radicalise an already disillusioned youth and al-Qaeda has given them the will, intent, purpose and ideology to act."

"On Afghanistan, the paper said the UK went in "with its eyes closed".

"The report also reveals that a secret deal to extricate UK troops from Iraq so they could focus on Afghanistan failed when British military leaders were over-ruled.

"It blames the ISI for "indirectly supporting terrorism and extremism, whether in London on 7/7 or in Afghanistan or Iraq".

Arf