US lowers down terror alert level

With the war in Iraq winding down, the US govt lowered the nation's terror alert level, Bush administration officials said.

With the war in Iraq winding down, the US government on Wednesday lowered the nation's terror alert level, Bush administration officials said.

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For most of the past month since the war began, the country had been on the second-highest level of alert, "orange," which means a high risk of terror attacks. The level was reduced to "yellow," meaning a significant risk of attacks.

"This recommendation to go to yellow is based upon assessment of threats by the US intelligence community," a spokeswoman for the department of Homeland Security said.

"The decision was based upon a number of factors in the ongoing assessment of intelligence, including the war in Iraq winding down," she said.

The decision to go to a higher alert had resulted in a number of tough security measures being adopted across the country.

"The intelligence community believes that terrorists will attempt multiple attacks against US and coalition targets worldwide in the event of a US-led military campaign against Saddam Hussein," Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said in announcing the higher alert level on March 17, two days before the war began.

The feared terror attacks never took place.