WASHINGTON, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- Taking credit from its war on terror, the White House said Tuesday that the country is safer, though "we are not yet safe."

    In its latest update of U.S. counterterrorism strategy, the White House claimed some "successes" in its campaign against terror, stressing that it has "deprived al-Qaida of safe haven in Afghanistan" and it is "aggressively prosecuting the war against the terrorists in Iraq."

    However, it also lists challenges ahead, namely, a more dispersed and less centralized terrorist network, the danger of another attack on U.S. soil and terrorists' use of media to "twist U.S. efforts in Iraq."

    Moreover, the enemy has adjusted to U.S. strategies and "our effective anti-terror efforts in part have forced the terrorists to evolve and modify their ways of doing business," said the 23-page terrorism strategy update.

    "The enemy we face today in the war on terror is not the same enemy we faced on Sept.11," it said.

    But "along with our partners, we will attack terrorism and its ideology and bring hope and freedom to the people of the world,...this is how we will win the war on terror," said the report.

    The update is the White House's latest attempt to highlight national security, a strong area for the Republicans, before the midterm elections in November.

    U.S. President George W. Bush will deliver a public address on counterterrorism efforts later in the day. Enditem