UNITED STATES: A study by two non-profit journalism organisations says US president George Bush and administration chiefs issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terror attacks.

The study concluded the statements "were part of a campaign that effectively galvanised public opinion and led the nation to war under decidedly false pretences".

The study was posted on the website of the Centre for Public Integrity, which worked with the Fund for Independence in Journalism.