Iraq War: No 'Clear Threat' from Saddam Hussein

(Baonghean.vn) - On July 6, the British Independent Commission of Inquiry released its long-awaited investigation report into the Iraq war.

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair shakes hands with soldiers. Photo: CNN

Speaking to reporters in London, the chairman of the British Independent Commission of Inquiry, John Chilcot, said: "The UK chose to go to war in Iraq before all other peaceful options had been exhausted. Military action was not the last resort in the Iraq war."

The 12-volume, 2.6-million-word report took more than seven years to complete, longer than the Iraq war. It criticized former British Prime Minister Tony Blair but did not accuse him of illegal war.

The report also shows that then British Prime Minister Tony Blair told US President George Bush that he would support the US leader in "anything" related to Iraq, months before the two countries launched the invasion of Iraq.

According to Mr Chilcot, the legal basis for British military action in Iraq was “unsatisfactory”, stressing that British policy on Iraq was based on “faulty assessments and intelligence”.

Mr Chilcot added that in March 2003, when the US-led invasion was launched, there was no "clear threat" from Saddam Hussein.

Even Prime Minister Blair was warned about the risk of regional instability and terrorism before invading Iraq, but the warning was ignored. The British Prime Minister at that time believed that the decision to invade Iraq was to ensure the relationship between Britain and the United States.

Mr Chilcot said Britain’s military role in Iraq went “catastrophically wrong” and ended in failure. He also revealed that former Prime Minister Blair “overestimated his ability to influence US decisions regarding Iraq”.

Before the report was published, Mr. Tony Blair admitted that the attack on Iraq led to the emergence of the self-proclaimed "Islamic State (IS)" group./.

Lan Ha

(According to CNN, USAtoday)