John Reid today dismissed a report that military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan has made Britain a more likely target for terrorists.

Academics writing for the respected independent research group Chatham House - formerly the Royal Institute of International Affairs - concluded that there is "no doubt" that the invasion had enhanced propaganda, recruitment and fund-raising for al-Qaeda.

Frank Gregory, of the University of Southampton, and Professor Paul Wilkinson, of the University of St Andrews, the report's authors, also said that Britain's efforts to combat terror had been hampered by its closeness to America.

"The UK Government has been conducting counter-terrorism policy 'shoulder to shoulder' with the US, not in the sense of being an equal decision-maker, but rather as pillion passenger compelled to leave the steering to the ally in the driving seat.

"There is no doubt that the situation over Iraq has imposed particular difficulties for the UK, and for the wider coalition against terrorism," they wrote.

They added: "The UK is at particular risk because it is the closest ally of the United States."

But the Defence Secretary today refuted the claims. Mr Reid said that the British public would not want the Government to back down in the face of terrorism.

He said: "The idea that somehow by running away from the school bully then the bully will not come after you is a thesis known to be completely untrue by every kid in the playground. And it’s refuted by every piece of historical evidence that we have.

"It's going to be a long and hard struggle, it's an international problem, the terrorists will kill anyone who stands in the way of their own perverse ideology.

"So when this report says that we have made ourselves more of a target because of our involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq and our efforts to tackle al Qaeda, what alternative it is proposing?

"That we should stand back while others take on the terrorists? I do not think this is what the British public would want."

Mr Reid accepted that the upsurge of attacks in Iraq was likely to continue as the political milestones of adopting a constitution and holding full elections approach.

He told Radio 4's Today programme: "Let me tell me you why we are getting the massacre of innocent Muslim children, civilians in Iraq - a huge number of deaths. It is because the worst blow that can occur to al-Qaeda is to illustrate the success of a democratic elected government in Iraq.

"They recognise the more we go towards that, and we are coming up to the constitution on August 15, the referendum in October and a final election in December. They recognise that would be a huge strategic blow.

"The way to tackle this is not to abandon the Iraqi government but to support them in terms of establishing a democracy."

The report also claims that Islamic terrorists were only given the appropriate priority in the late 1990s. Before that, it claims, suspect groups in London were not viewed as a threat and allowed to act with "relative impunity".

It also warns of intelligence that terrorists are actively seeking to acquire chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weaponry

"Their track record shows that they would have no compunction about using this type of weapon to cause large numbers of civilian deaths."

Inquests into the deaths of 19 more victims of the London bomb attacks will be opened over the next three days, confirming the identity of 15 of the dead for the first time. A total of 51 out of the 55 people who died in the atrocity have been identified by police.

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