3:56pm UK, Thursday August 04, 2005

Ken Livingstone has called for British troops to be withdrawn from Iraq in order to prevent further terrorist attacks.

The London Mayor also said Britons need to support the police and treat Muslims with respect to "make us all safer".

180 lterror ken livingstone catches tube train

Ken wants troops home to stop attacks

"All are inter-related", Mr Livingstone wrote in The Guardian newspaper.

"Acceptance that the invasion of Iraq increased the likelihood of a terrorist attack on London now extends far beyond the usual suspects."

He added: "The London bombings demand clear thinking not rhetoric... for Britain to withdraw from Iraq."

The capital was hit by two waves of terrorist attacks last month.

On July 7, 56 people were killed, four suicide bombers included, in blasts on three underground trains and a bus.

Then on July 21 four attacks failed when the bombs did not detonate fully.

Mr Livingstone, who has been a harsh critics of Prime Minister Tony Blair, said: "If the invasion of Iraq had been justified, it would be possible to argue that we must bear the sacrifices necessary to achieve an outcome.

"The reason the US is not able to stabilise Iraq is related to the same critical issue that affects policing in Britain: information."

He said Britain's police forces would only be effective if they receive community co-operation.

The mayor urged fellow anti-war campaigners to tell London's communities to cooperate with police to catch terrorists.

However, "the quality of information the police get will be decisively affected by the degree to which communities are treated with respect", he added.