UK's Iraq war inquiry delivers damning verdict on Blair
Posted on 6 July 2016 - 08:40pm
LONDON: Former British prime minister Tony Blair took his country into a badly planned, woefully executed and legally questionable war in Iraq in 2003, according to the findings of a long-delayed inquiry into Britain's role in the conflict.
The Chilcot report found the decision to join the US-led invasion was taken before all other options had been exhausted and on the basis of false intelligence.
Blair faced particular criticism after pledging to support US president George W. Bush the year before the invasion "whatever" happened and failing to ensure "there was a flexible, realistic and fully resourced plan".
More than 150,000 Iraqis had died by the time most British troops withdrew in 2009, while 179 British soldiers also lost their lives. The country remains plagued by sectarian violence.
Responding to the report in a short statement Blair insisted he had acted in Britain's "best interests".
"Whether people agree or disagree with my decision to take military action against Saddam Hussein, I took it in good faith and in what I believed to be the best interests of the country."
Britain's scarring experience in Iraq has made it deeply wary of committing ground troops to international military interventions in countries like Syria and Libya.
Unveiling the 2.6 million-word report, which took seven years to complete, inquiry chairman John Chilcot said it was "an account of an intervention which went badly wrong, with consequences to this day".
More than 100 anti-war protesters gathered outside the conference centre where the report was published, with many shouting: "Blair lied, thousands died" and "war criminal Tony Blair".
'I will be with you, whatever'
Although the legality of the invasion was not in his remit, retired civil servant Chilcot said the process of deciding the legal basis for war was "far from satisfactory".
"We have concluded that the UK chose to join the invasion of Iraq before the peaceful options for disarmament had been exhausted. Military action at that time was not a last resort," Chilcot said.
The war was justified on the basis that the Iraq leader had weapons of mass destruction, although no such weapons were never found.
The report laid the blame for this failure firmly on the intelligence community, but said the government had "overstated the firmness of the evidence" about Iraq's capabilities and intentions.
It confirmed long-held suspicions that Blair put Britain on a path to war as early as July 2002, when he wrote a letter to Bush, saying: "I will be with you, whatever."
Blair was also criticised for failing to challenge Bush on the lack of planning for the aftermath of the invasion and called British plans for managing the occupation post-invasion "wholly inadequate".
The report also said Blair had "overestimated his ability to influence US decisions on Iraq".
The inquiry dismissed Blair's assertion that it was not possible to predict the strength of local opposition, the rise of Al-Qaeda and the involvement of Iran, which fuelled the violence, saying these were "explicitly identified before the invasion".
Relatives of some of the dead soldiers attended the report's publication.
Blair apologised last year for the fact the intelligence was wrong, and for mistakes in the planning, but said he did not regret removing Saddam.
He is expected to address reporters later Wednesday on the report, but his reputation is already in tatters over a conflict that most now believe was a mistake, and some believe was a war crime.
'People should be accountable'
"Tony Blair and those who supported the war should be brought to a court of law and be prosecuted," said John Loyd, a 70-year-old protester outside the venue where Chilcot spoke.
"If we call us a civilised country then people should be accountable for the results of what they did," he added, holding up a sign saying: "Justice for Iraq. The Hague for Blair".
"They prosecuted an illegal war and the result was the destruction of a country," he added.
The International Criminal Court in The Hague has said it will consider the report but has no investigation open. The legality of the war is outside its jurisdiction.
The war, which at one point saw 46,000 British troops deployed, mostly in southern Iraq around the strategic oil hub of Basra, still looms large over British politics.
Jeremy Corbyn, current leader of the party Blair once headed, Britain's Labour party, is hoping to use the Chilcot report to see off a rebellion by his own MPs over what they see as his lacklustre campaigning against Britain leaving the EU.
The veteran socialist, who was only picked as leader last year, strongly opposed the war in Iraq, while many of his critics had supported it. — AFP
Posted on 6 July 2016 - 08:40pm
LONDON: Former British prime minister Tony Blair took his country into a badly planned, woefully executed and legally questionable war in Iraq in 2003, according to the findings of a long-delayed inquiry into Britain's role in the conflict.
The Chilcot report found the decision to join the US-led invasion was taken before all other options had been exhausted and on the basis of false intelligence.
Blair faced particular criticism after pledging to support US president George W. Bush the year before the invasion "whatever" happened and failing to ensure "there was a flexible, realistic and fully resourced plan".
More than 150,000 Iraqis had died by the time most British troops withdrew in 2009, while 179 British soldiers also lost their lives. The country remains plagued by sectarian violence.
Responding to the report in a short statement Blair insisted he had acted in Britain's "best interests".
"Whether people agree or disagree with my decision to take military action against Saddam Hussein, I took it in good faith and in what I believed to be the best interests of the country."
Britain's scarring experience in Iraq has made it deeply wary of committing ground troops to international military interventions in countries like Syria and Libya.
Unveiling the 2.6 million-word report, which took seven years to complete, inquiry chairman John Chilcot said it was "an account of an intervention which went badly wrong, with consequences to this day".
More than 100 anti-war protesters gathered outside the conference centre where the report was published, with many shouting: "Blair lied, thousands died" and "war criminal Tony Blair".
'I will be with you, whatever'
Although the legality of the invasion was not in his remit, retired civil servant Chilcot said the process of deciding the legal basis for war was "far from satisfactory".
"We have concluded that the UK chose to join the invasion of Iraq before the peaceful options for disarmament had been exhausted. Military action at that time was not a last resort," Chilcot said.
The war was justified on the basis that the Iraq leader had weapons of mass destruction, although no such weapons were never found.
The report laid the blame for this failure firmly on the intelligence community, but said the government had "overstated the firmness of the evidence" about Iraq's capabilities and intentions.
It confirmed long-held suspicions that Blair put Britain on a path to war as early as July 2002, when he wrote a letter to Bush, saying: "I will be with you, whatever."
Blair was also criticised for failing to challenge Bush on the lack of planning for the aftermath of the invasion and called British plans for managing the occupation post-invasion "wholly inadequate".
The report also said Blair had "overestimated his ability to influence US decisions on Iraq".
The inquiry dismissed Blair's assertion that it was not possible to predict the strength of local opposition, the rise of Al-Qaeda and the involvement of Iran, which fuelled the violence, saying these were "explicitly identified before the invasion".
Relatives of some of the dead soldiers attended the report's publication.
Blair apologised last year for the fact the intelligence was wrong, and for mistakes in the planning, but said he did not regret removing Saddam.
He is expected to address reporters later Wednesday on the report, but his reputation is already in tatters over a conflict that most now believe was a mistake, and some believe was a war crime.
'People should be accountable'
"Tony Blair and those who supported the war should be brought to a court of law and be prosecuted," said John Loyd, a 70-year-old protester outside the venue where Chilcot spoke.
"If we call us a civilised country then people should be accountable for the results of what they did," he added, holding up a sign saying: "Justice for Iraq. The Hague for Blair".
"They prosecuted an illegal war and the result was the destruction of a country," he added.
The International Criminal Court in The Hague has said it will consider the report but has no investigation open. The legality of the war is outside its jurisdiction.
The war, which at one point saw 46,000 British troops deployed, mostly in southern Iraq around the strategic oil hub of Basra, still looms large over British politics.
Jeremy Corbyn, current leader of the party Blair once headed, Britain's Labour party, is hoping to use the Chilcot report to see off a rebellion by his own MPs over what they see as his lacklustre campaigning against Britain leaving the EU.
The veteran socialist, who was only picked as leader last year, strongly opposed the war in Iraq, while many of his critics had supported it. — AFP
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AT A TIME WHEN THE NATION WAS MARCHING TOWARDS A MIRACULOUS SOCIETY OUR SINHAL ALI-MODAYAS THOUGHT THEY NEED A CHANGE. MONKEY DEMOCRACY ALLOWED THEM TO DO SO. THOUGHT THEN-BOUGHT MEDIA WAS HARPING NO DEMOCRACY(TODAY ZERO DEMOCRACY). AFTER THEY SAID COUP NOTHING WAS FOUND TO BE TRUE THEN THEN CONTINUE WITH ALI PAHACHA-----
Today we have two national anthems, hard fought liberation is given back on a platter in return for votes, majority is marginalize in all corners of the society in return for votes, They have no children what does it matter to them PONNIES. They have aliens master given them shelter and care we have non.
Winning a war itself a miracle as the world AND THE LOCAL BAG CARRIERS SAID-YES they said Pamankada for elephant pass victory they said jungle for trinco thopigala victory and many more like statements said impossible. Current ALI- pacha ,ALI houru – ALI- ponni rulers are unable to even clean a drain, clean a lake remove garbage Forget winning a war . Yes we have experienced before that was the case since independence years till 2009 came in.
War was rotting the nation it was not a war but fermenting money making machine of rulers. Every bullet, every uniform, every food packet, every gun was generating bulging pocket money. Then why finish war ? Robberies are unimaginable day light right under our nose.4500 billion TBILL FARCE even a kid can prove the robbery.. The media bashing of our hero who liberated nation making a robber was orchestrated by the white, supported by our cohorts. Nothing has been found nor will ever be found. HE WAS HONOUST INDEED EVEN THE PRESENT rulers now talk about. WHY WE SAY HE DID NOT ROB IS BECAUSE
PONNIE paid form our-money-and BROUGHT BEST OF THE BEST DETECTIVES FORM US, UK AND ALL POSSIBLE COUNTRISE PROVEN TO be the best. They were seen hanging around cinnamon grand often during the initial PERIOD of the current government. then went back to dig all corners outside Up to today nothing has been found . but the media machinery outside and here and the ponies continue harping with the support of the west. why this hatred ????towards one MAN OUR HERO keep reading.
AS USUAL modayas VOTED THE NATIONS TO DISASTER WITH POSSIBLY NO RETURN to stability during OUR LIVES . AS UNDOING IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE WITH INTERNATIONAL INVOLVEMENT
How ?
1- OUR TINY ISLAND WAS ROBBED FOR 30 YEARS IN TOTAL BY A TERRORIST, THREATENING OUR LIVES TOO MANY LOST THEIR LIVES . NO ONE RAISED OBJECTION BUT RAN FOR SHELTER. ONE MAN CAME AND CHANGED THINGS NOW WE ARE CHASING HIM TO GUN DOWN.
NO ONE SAID WE NEED A CHANGE DURING THE ERROR, INSTEAD LIVED LIKE RATS UNDER CAVES.
2- ALL LEADERS DURING THIS 30 YEARS Cheated the nation ,ROBBING IN BILLIONS DUE TO WAR AND EXPENSES .BUT WAR WAS NEVER FOUGHT WITH real AMMUNITION BUT limited WORDS IN TV AND NEWS PAPERS.
.
3- IF ROBBING IS THE MOTIVE OR OUR HERO, WAR COULD HAVE BEEN RESTRICTED TO AREA AND KEPT GOING WITH UNENDING SOURCE OF COMMI
4500 BILLION OR MORE THING LIKE THAT ROBBED MONEY PLUS MONEY FORM NGOs have been used for propaganda and Ranis needs(under the guise of party fund)
Short history of Sinhala modaya being slaves
5- BEFORE 30 YEARS WHITE MAN ROBBED THE NATION FOR OVER 500 YEARS. MAKING US SLAVES NO ONE OBJECTED NO ONE WANTED CHANGE NO ONE WANTED DEMOCRACY.FOR 500 YEARS THEY BURIED OUR CULTURE OUR RELIGION OUR TRADITIONS
6- WE NEVER FOUGHT LIKE INDIA FOR FREEDOM BUT WAS GIVEN TO THE BAG CARRIERS OF THE WHITES TO CONTINUE WITH THEIR WAYS. WHITE MAN FOUND RIGHT THEY THE DOGS WILL CARRY PUT THEIR DUTIES
THEY WERE EDUCATED BY THE WHITE MAN WITH SCHOLARSHIPS ETC AND INSTRUMENTAL IN GIVING VALUE TO THE WHITE MANS EDUCATION. KILLING OUR EDUCATION OUR TECHNOLOGY.TODAY THEY ARE OBSOLETE EAST EDUCATION IS THE THING .YET WE LOYAL WHIT DOGS ARE CONTINUING.LOYAL IS ROYAL.
Alien English the god of pseudo special elevation – stupidity
I took my German pal to a club bar He was shocked to hear why all Sinhala modays talk in English he asked me ? why are they speaking in English why not sinhales. Do the no sinhales I said legacy of our master left behind and no kalu Sudas doing a better job of ensuring the masters waya re continuing.
6- WE ARE STILL DRUNK WITH ENGLISH IGNORING IT IS MANDARIN THAT MAKES MORE MONEY.YES ENGLISH IS IS A SECOND LANGUAGE . BUT NOT IN CHINA NOR IN JAPAN NOR IN GERMANY NOR IN FRANCE BRAZIL, ETC ETC
7- MODAYA THOUGHT CORRUPTION FAIRY TAIL STORIES ARE TRUE –LIKE THE WAY THEY FOLLOW OTHER MEDIA BLISTERS. NO DIFFERENT TO ACCEPTING MILO MAKING CHAMPIONS . ANY MEDIA CAN MAKE LIES IN TO REALITY BY REPEATED BOMBARD
FAMILY Bandism is for men who has not done any sports what matters is the best the best team get selected to play. UNDER RAJAPAKES STC RUGBY TEAM WAS CHAMPIONS WHAT MORE ?A HORES MAY SHOUT HEY FAMILY BANDISM.
Have you not experienced four in a relay team coming from same family. Opining batting pairs coming from the same family. They are A Team. Have you not seen some families doing nothing but talking in the corner- they are B team. Ask the god why the discrimination !
8-THEY SPOKE ABOUT FAMILY Bandism
WHAT WRONG WHEN THEY ARE DOING THE JOB BETTER THAN OTHERS, MY SCHOOL RELAY TEAM WAS BY A FAMILY MEMBERS, MY RUGBY TEAM HAD MANY FAMILY MEMBERS TALENT RUNS IN THE FAMILY THEY MUST BE SELECTED FOR THE JOB WEHN THEY ARE THE BEST. SINGAPORE IS RUN BY THE FAMILY SINCE INDEPENDENCE, BANADARANAYAKE FAMILY IS A LEGACY SO IS SENANAYAKE, WICKRMEAISNG IS THE SAME IT IS UNCLE AND NEPHEW FAMILY RUWAN IS COMING MAKING THE THIRD GENERATION .
WHO IS TALKING
Even Current Japanese prime minister a third generation family ruler. One cannot help certain families getting better genes than the nor mal. Tell the god for being unfair-They must be give due recognition and responsibility for greater good. All cheetahs do not run at the same speed nor all horses are excellent runner. Smartness is in the genes in the mouth. Fast runners are selected they are more expensive that not family Bandism
9- HARD FOUGHT- RECOVERD NORTH IS NOW BEING GIVEN IN A PALTTER In return for votes.
IS IT A SMALL FRACTION our minority brothers THAT Keep asking for more and more and more and even more really they are from out of the island. NOT THE MAJORITY OF OUR MINORITY BROTHERS. We are brothers indeed Muslims Tamils Burghers and all. We are sri Lankans
ALL THEY WANT IS TO LIVE in harmony MAKE MONEY - GO AND SEE PETAH , MARDANA wellawatta bamaba colupitiya whole OF COLOMO BUSINESS centres , AND NOW EVEN IN KANDY, N UWARS ELIY ,GALL H=JAFFNA ETC ETC ALL ARE DOMINATED BY THE Minorities . Majorities are poor farmers no body is talking about totally neglected portion.no gun no talk. Be like north korea Inida no food but with gun no one bully then .Poor farmers ARE NOT EVEN SEEN
10 --NO ONE WANT TO LEARN CONSTITUTIONS BUT THESE LEADERS ARE WASTING TIME ON CONSTITUTION NOW FOR THE THIRD TIME IN TWO YEARS . ONLY TO ENSURE THEY CAN CONTINUE GOVERNING THE NATIONS AND MAKING MORE MONEY
10 MARGINALIZING THE MAJORITY IN THE NAME OF RECONCILIATION IS NOT AN ANSWERS BUT AND BREWING HUGE BOMB
WE NEVER learn - WE ARE BORN TO BE SLAVES- The fraction that still support this ponni regime are the decedent of bag carrier or dependent of bag carriers of the white man.
KEEP GOING SINHALAY modaya KAWUN kannta yodhaya
IT IS TIME WE THINK OF GENETIC ENGINEERING TO CREATE A MORE INTELLIGENT
LET THE Muslims, TAMILS, CHINES BURGERS Marry I SINHALE Girls AND PRODUCE SOME THING new Sinhala-sri lankan
WITHOUT BRAINS THERE IS NO FUTURE WE ARE MODYAS IN DEED WE Cannot SEE Behind TV AND NEWS PAPER and the world power outside our shores maneuvering us. They do not see the layers in the wold.
Masters-US EYES ARE- UK,AUSI,CANADA,NORWAY,DOHA,TAIWAN,SINGAPORE
Cohorts, eg Norway
Slaves- UK
Servants-eg Israel
Pawns- eg sri lanka middle east
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