The Chilcot inquiry into the UK’s involvement in the invasion of Iraq was released today – and its conclusions are pretty damning.
In 2009, the Chilcot inquiry was set up by then British prime minister Gordon Brown. The inquiry spoke to 150 people, published 2.6 million words at a total cost of £10 million, all with the aim of examining the fateful decisions that led to the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003.
The well-publicised motives behind the invasion of Iraq were two-fold. Firstly, the U.S accused Iraq of having weapons of mass destruction (WMD), a claim which turned out to be false. Secondly, they pointed to former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s supposed links to terrorist group Al-Qaeda, drawing Iraq into then US president George W. Bush’s “War on Terrorism”.
https://twitter.com/sinisteragent/status/750677906305720320
The report has been regarded as a damning indictment of the actions of former British prime minister Tony Blair in the lead up to and during the Iraqi war.
Blair privately told Bush there was no real link between 9/11 and Iraqhttps://t.co/R1B2nURjyw #Chilcot pic.twitter.com/5Sxpk6zNwb
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) July 6, 2016
The main findings of the report are as follows:
- The decision to go to war was based on “flawed intelligence”.
- The UK went to war without adequately exhausting all peaceful options.
- Although Saddam Hussein was a “brutal dictator”, he was not an imminent threat and military action “was not a last resort”, as Blair had so doggedly insisted.
- Blair deliberately exaggerated the threat posed by the Iraqi regime.
- British soldiers on the front line were inadequately equipped with military gear.
- There was lack of strategy regarding post war Iraq upon invading.
- Intelligence regarding Iraq’s WMDs was presented by Blair “with a certainty that was not justified”.
Tony Blair told George W Bush: you will define a new "world order" by invading Iraqhttps://t.co/R1B2nURjyw #Chilcot pic.twitter.com/bzzHe1qs1s
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) July 6, 2016
It is difficult to find an exact number of the deaths during the Iraq war. Estimates on the Iraqi side vary from 90,000-600,000 during the war, which spanned almost a decade from 2003-2011.
The number of American deaths in the conflict have been estimated at 4,800, and 179 British soldiers lost their lives during the conflict.
The Iraq War in numbers #Chilcothttps://t.co/Os6yPIOCQf
— PA Media (@PA) July 6, 2016
Tony Blair, who in June 2002 told George W. Bush that he was “with him whatever”, released a statement in response to the report, saying:
“The report should lay to rest allegations of bad faith, lies or deceit. 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 in the best interests of the country…
“…However the report does make real and material criticisms of preparation, planning, process and of the relationship with the United States. These are serious criticisms and they require serious answers. I will respond in detail to them later this afternoon.
"There were no lies" but "I accept full responsibility" for criticism in #Chilcot – Blair https://t.co/lOjx5zJlK8 https://t.co/EA8Ie7jlLD
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) July 6, 2016
Blair’s former adviser Alastair Campbell said the PM was “just following intelligence” at the time.
Tony Blair was just following intelligence, Alastair Campbell tells @itvnews #Chilcot https://t.co/pvdulEvZba pic.twitter.com/VgfSmgKzmY
— ITV News (@itvnews) July 6, 2016
But families of those killed in Iraq have since held a news conference, hosted on The Guardian website.
Soldiers' families on Chilcot report: 'My son died in vain' – video https://t.co/hJBsI29MwQ
— The Guardian (@guardian) July 6, 2016
Mark Thompson, father of Kevin, who was killed in 2007, said: “[Blair] destroyed families. We have lost grandchildren. We have lost a daughter-in-law. He’s got everything. He should be stripped of everything he has for what he’s done. It was an illegal war. My son died in vain. He died for no reason.”
Pauline Graham, grandmother of 19-year-old Gordon Gentle who died in the conflict, added: “Now we know where we stand and what we can do. Tony Blair should betaken to court for trial for murder. He can’t get away with this any more.”
The public and wider reaction to the report, and Tony Blair’s part in the decision-making, has been equally negative so far.
The current Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn said the Iraq invasion was an “act of military aggression, launched on a false pretext”.
Corbyn: Those who took decision to go to war must face the consequences #Chilcot pic.twitter.com/Fe0Zsg3Itu
— Sean Clare (@Sean__Clare) July 6, 2016
Tony Blair’s then Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, had this to say:
"With benefit of hindsight, different decisions would have been made"
Jack Strawhttps://t.co/R1B2nURjyw #Chilcot pic.twitter.com/3zlx1uKK0V— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) July 6, 2016
Bush memos prove Blair knew the disaster that would unfold: the disaster he denied at the time because he wanted to stay on as PM.#Chilcot
— Tim Ireland 💙⚜️🔥🎤 (@bloggerheads) July 6, 2016
https://twitter.com/damiengayle/status/750640966202167296
.@AlexSalmond: “Wouldn’t it help if individuals responsible were held accountable?” #Chilcothttps://t.co/7yeUzJS9lt
— The SNP (@theSNP) July 6, 2016
"Future wars need greater care." – #Chilcot
Paradox of the day?
Oxymoron of the year?A caring war
— Omid Djalili (@omid9) July 6, 2016
A lot of social media users are re-posting the late British Lib Dem politician Charles Kennedy’s legendary speech in the House of Commons in which he denounced the UK’s rush to war in Iraq.
Shameful tone of the Iraq debate in 2003, especially the Tories' treatment of Charles Kennedy https://t.co/0I1iLAcymt
— George Severs @georgesevers.bsky.social (@GeorgeSevers10) July 6, 2016
The BBC reports on what might happen next now that Chilcot is finally out in the open.
What happens next? @iainjwatson on the political fallout of #Chilcot https://t.co/S1bwB3OPdU
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) July 6, 2016
