LONDON — Leaked British government documents call into question ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair's public statements on the buildup to the Iraq war and show plans for the U.S.-led 2003 invasion were being made more than a year earlier, a newspaper reported Sunday.
Britain's Sunday Telegraph published details of private statements made by senior British military figures claiming plans were in place months before the March 2003 invasion, but were so badly drafted they left troops poorly equipped and ill-prepared for the conflict.
The documents — transcripts of interviews from an internal defense ministry review of the conflict — disclose that some planning for the Iraq war had begun in February 2002. Maj. Gen. Graeme Lamb, then head of Britain's special forces, was quoted as saying he had been "working the war up since early 2002," according to the newspaper.
In July 2002, Blair told lawmakers at a House of Commons committee session that there were no preparations to invade Iraq.
Critics of the war have long insisted that Blair offered then-President George W. Bush an assurance as early as mid-2002 — before British lawmakers voted in 2003 to approve U.K. involvement — that Britain would join the war.
The leaked documents are likely to be supplied to a public inquiry established by Prime Minister Gordon Brown to scrutinize prewar intelligence and postwar planning, and which will hold its first evidence sessions later this week.
Brown appointed ex-civil servant John Chilcot to lead the panel, which will call Blair and the current and former heads of Britain's MI6 intelligence agency — John Sawers and John Scarlett — to give testimony in person.
According to the Sunday Telegraph, military leaders used the defense ministry review to criticize government departments over their failure to plan for reconstruction work once Saddam Hussein had been deposed.
"We got absolutely no advice whatsoever. The lack of involvement by the FCO (Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office), the Home Office and the Department for International Development was appalling," the newspaper quoted Brig. Bill Moore as saying in his statement.
It quoted Lt. Col. M. L. Dunn as reporting that his soldiers "only had five rounds of ammunition each" when the invasion began, and that troops lacked the correct armor and other equipment.
In another statement, Lt. Col. John Power said long-distance radios failed in Iraq's heat and claimed planning was so haphazard that military officials mistakenly sent a container of skis along with desert equipment.
The newspaper said the internal review concludes that a swift military victory was won only because Iraq's forces were so poor. "A more capable enemy would probably have punished (our) shortcomings severely," it quotes a document as saying.
Britain's role in the Iraq conflict — which triggered massive public protests at home — left 179 British soldiers dead.
"Tony Blair consistently denied to Parliament and public that the U.K. government was preparing for war in Iraq, yet these documents show that planning began as far back as 2002," Alex Salmond, leader of the Scottish Nationalist Party, said Sunday. The revelations prove Blair took Britain "an illegal and disastrous war on false pretences," Salmond said.
The defense ministry declined to comment Sunday on the leaked documents, but said it "recognizes the importance of identifying and learning lessons from operations."
Two previous British studies into the war have been carried out . One cleared the government of blame for the death of David Kelly, a government weapons scientist who killed himself in 2003 after he was exposed as the source of a British Broadcasting Corp. report that accused Blair's office of "sexing up" prewar intelligence.
A separate 2004 inquiry — which Chilcot took part in — into intelligence on Iraq also cleared Blair's government, but criticized spy agencies for relying on seriously flawed or unreliable sources.
Findings of the new inquiry will not be published before next summer, meaning the conclusions won't be known before Britain's next national election, which Brown must hold by June 2010.
Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,576226,00.html
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The War In Iraqby lewis202014,786,701 views
Today in the news we learned about horror in this country caused by illegal US occupation,torture and mass murder of civilians this is the realty of Iraq today,people of Iraq ARISE,ARISE to liberate your country against tyranny,you are not american slaves
nedeljko18 1 year ago
@UnitedKingdomify well, at some point let's hope the British and American public say enough of this crap and their respective governments have to pull out. I think the Brits will wake up first though.
roaringwaterbay 1 year ago
@roaringwaterbay The difference is a vast majority of the British public didn't support the war even on the bogus evidence in front them. The public only got behind the war when the troops had been shipped, and it wasn't support for the war, it was support for the troops... whom they wanted home.
Protest marches before, and during the deployment were vast.
Dictated to... throughout. Nothing is changed now with our coalition Conservative and Liberal Democrat government in power. Farcical.
UnitedKingdomify 1 year ago
@Redcarpet01 asking for proof? what the....?
Britain is building aircraft carriers and has many ships and diffrent kinds of military power,its one of the biggest military powers in the world. just go look if you ever visit Britain.
A lot of Military veichles that America uses are made in Britain too.
Im Italian btw before you result in random British insults.
BoyMunkey08 1 year ago
@Redcarpet01 thats like me saying Americas miltary is made up!
fucking crazy thing to say!
Just come to Britain and go see them being built,there there for u to see u mental man!
asking for photo graphic evidence or somthing lmao fucking mentalist! lol
athleticguyUK 1 year ago
@athleticguyUK lol, your argument is so weak you resort to personal attacks. How pathetic. Just admit you made it up or forgot your source, jeez
Redcarpet01 1 year ago
@Redcarpet01 oooooookayyyy.....u realy do need to sit down and have a talk with someone.....maybe get yourself somekind of medication.
athleticguyUK 1 year ago
@athleticguyUK You made the argument so you prove it. Telling others to do research, good lord. The hypocrisy.
Redcarpet01 1 year ago
@Redcarpet01 are u a bit mentaly ill or somthing?
what are people supposed to do,go and take photos for you or somthing? lol
You have the internet at your finger tips dont be dumb and lazy!
Those were not claims they are facts!
athleticguyUK 1 year ago
@athleticguyUK all irrelevant claims. I'm asking for proof the UK is building aircraft carriers.
Redcarpet01 1 year ago