Chilcot Report Confirms Iraq War Lies

The Chilcot enquiry into the decision to go to war in Iraq back in 2003 was finally published on July 6. The 7-year long enquiry by Sir John Chilcot did not to explore the fundamentals of British foreign policy but was confined to exploring the processes surrounding the Iraq war. Whilst there was little presented that was not already known some of the details have now been brought to light.

Lies, lies and more lies

The Chilcot final report exposed the fact that Tony Blair deliberately exaggerated the threat posed by Saddam Hussein. Chilcot found Blair deliberately exaggerated the threat posed by the Iraqi regime as he sought to make the case for military action to MPs and the public in the buildup to the invasion in 2002 and 2003.

Very few actually believed Saddam Hussain posed a threat to Britain. Iraq had been systematically broken by the US since the 1991 invasion and after two decades Iraq and Saddam were at virtual breaking point. Despite this the US still invaded Iraq, the strategic reasoning behind the invasion was highlighted back in 2000, in the Project for the New American Century publication: “Rebuilding America’s Defences: Strategies, Forces, and Resources for a New Century,” The document pointed out that Bush administration had planned for military control over the gulf for many years, with or without Saddam Hussein in power. The document mentioned: “The United States has for decades sought to play a more permanent role in Gulf regional security. While the unresolved conflict with Iraq provides the immediate justification for a substantial American force presence in the Gulf.” All of this shows the US planned to invade Iraq before its invasion of Afghanistan and even before 9/11, these were merely used as justifications.

For Britain who created Iraq through the Sykes-Picot Agreement maintaining any influence in Iraq required joining the US in this colonial endeavour. As the reason for Britain’s involvement did not form part of the enquiry, this fact was never considered. This is why Blair and his cronies created every lie to justify British involvement to maintain a piece of Iraq.

War at all Costs

The Chilcot report exposed the fact that the UK chose war before all other options for disarmament had been exhausted. Military action at that time was not a last resort. By March 2003, it said, there was no imminent threat from the then Iraq leader Saddam Hussein, the strategy of containment could have been adapted and continued for some time and the majority of the Security Council supported continuing UN inspections and monitoring
All the parliamentarians who voted for the war, did so, knowing this fact. Even the threat from Saddam Hussain, which was used as a pretext for invasion was a lie. The report highlighted Iran, North Korea and Libya were considered greater threats in terms of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons proliferation.

Before all of this, on 28 July 2002, Tony Blair assured US President George W Bush he would be with him "whatever". Despite the million-man march, parliamentary vote, before even the evidence was even made public for the war, Tony Blair had already committed the UK to the war.

Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD’s)

The original justification for invading Iraq was its possession of WMD’s. This was proven to be a lie as these were never found and even the weapons inspectors consistently reiterated there were no such weapons. The coalition forces, when exposed, blamed this on faulty intelligence and the Chilcot enquiry did the same, blaming faulty intelligence and the lack of scrutiny by the government and parliament.

The invasion of Iraq was ignited on the basis of lies about Saddam's WMD’s. Those false claims were promulgated by senior American and British officials precisely to manipulate public opinion, to go to war, and irrespective of whether WMD really existed.

Amongst the intelligence available to the allies was the testimony of defector General Hussein Kamel, Saddam's son-in-law and head of Iraq's WMD programmes. He provided crates of documents to UN weapons inspectors, as well as authoritative testimony on the precise nature of the WMD programmes that Saddam had embarked on in preceding years.

He was even cited by senior officials as the key witness on the threat posed by Saddam's WMD's. What these same officials conveniently omitted to mention is that Gen. Kamel had also confirmed to UN inspectors in 1995 that Iraq had destroyed its entire stockpile of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, and banned missiles, in 1991, shortly before the Gulf War - exactly as Saddam had claimed.

Senior intelligence officers in MI6 and the CIA have confirmed that intelligence was being deliberately politicised to support "the opposite conclusion from the one they have drawn." One MI6 officer said: "You cannot just cherry-pick evidence that suits your case and ignore the rest. It is a cardinal rule of intelligence. Yet that is what the PM is doing." A CIA official concured: "We've gone from a zero position, where presidents refused to cite detailed intel as a source, to the point now where partisan material is being officially attributed to these agencies."

Army was sent to its slaughter

Despite concocting lies to invade Iraq in order to pursue strategic interest, one would think the politicians would be sincere enough to equip its armed forces to do the job. The sons, fathers and women who went to protect British interests, one would think would be fully equipped to face the battle, despite the lies presented to justify the war.

The Chilcot report highlighted the forces sent to invade Iraq were effectively sold out by the Politicians. The report confirmed between 2003 and 2009, UK forces in Iraq faced gaps in some key capability areas - including armoured vehicles, reconnaissance and intelligence assets and helicopter support.

The political leaders of Britain didn’t just lie in order to go to war in Iraq, but they even sold out their own army by not even providing them with the equipment they needed.

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Adnan Khan