The head of the British Red Cross has warned that the Bush administration’s “war on terror” has threatened the capacity of the Red Cross and Red Crescent to operate in areas of conflict. While visiting Iraq Sir Nicholas Young said “I had a very strong sense that we were regarded as the occupying powers. And this was something I hadn’t felt before.” Young said the Red Cross’s mission was severely jeopardized when Secretary of State Colin Powell called humanitarian aid “an important part of our combat force” in Iraq. Young also told the Guardian of London that the US-led coalition has been in defiance of international law in Iraq.