Former British PM warned Iraq War would lead to terror rise
Former British prime minister Tony Blair voiced "sorrow, regret and apology" after a damning report on the Iraq war Wednesday, but said he did not mislead parliament and did not regret toppling Saddam Hussein.
"I express more sorrow, regret and apology than you may ever know or can believe," said Blair, his voice breaking with emotion in a speech in central London.
However, he added: "As the report makes clear there were no lies, parliament and cabinet were not misled, there was no secret commitment to war.
"The intelligence was not falsified and the decision was made in good faith."
Mr Blair's apology comes following the release of the Chilcot Report, which found the former PM “underestimated” the impact of the Iraq War, was backed by “flawed intelligence” and ended “a long way from success”.
“Mr Blair had been warned that military action would increase the threat from Al Qaida to the UK and to UK interests,” report author John Chilcot found.
“He had also been warned that an invasion might lead to Iraq’s weapons and capabilities being transferred into the hands of terrorists.”
Mr Chilcot, a retired civil servant, went as far as labelling the $20.4 billion (AUD) war a “failure” in the 6275-page report.
“It is now clear that policy on Iraq was made on the basis of flawed intelligence and assessments. They were not challenged, and they should have been,” the report found.
In a scathing critique of Blair's leadership, the inquiry released communications between the former PM and US President George W Bush, saying "I will be with you, whatever" in one message sent eight months before the invasion.
"But this is the moment to assess bluntly the difficulties," stated the memo, dated July 28, 2002.
The report comes as the world continues to battle ISIS, which has claimed responsibility for more than 800 deaths in just four weeks.
Those reportedly claiming allegiance to the terror group have carried out attacks from Orlando and the Philippines to Turkey in the past month.
Initially, the under-fire Mr Blair issued a statement responding to the claims, saying he rejects the terror claim and acted in “the best interests of the country”.
“I do not believe (the Iraq War) is the cause of the terrorism we see today,” Mr Blair said in his statement.
“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 the best interests of the country.”
Current British Prime Minister David Cameron said “we cannot turn back the clock” and the country needed to learn from the report.
According to Australian War Memorial figures, two Australians lost their lives in the Iraq War and 42 in the associated battle in Afghanistan.
A total 179 British troops and more than 150,000 Iraqis were killed in the conflict.
News break – July 7
