Army Chief In 'quit Iraq' Row

[Lonan3]

Times

 

Tony Blair's foreign policy was in tatters last night after the head of the Army said that the continued presence of British troops in Iraq was responsible for bloodshed at home and abroad.

The scathing comments by General Sir Richard Dannatt directly contradict the Prime Minister, who has repeatedly claimed that the invasion of Iraq played no role in galvanising Muslim extremism in Britain and bringing about the 7/7 bombings

In an interview Sir Richard said that the continuing presence in Iraq of 7,200 British troops was “exacerbating the security problems” and said they should come home soon.

He added: “We are in a Muslim country and Muslims’ views of foreigners in their country are quite clear. As a foreigner you can be welcomed by being invited in a country but we weren’t invited, certainly by those in Iraq at the time. The military campaign we fought in 2003 effectively kicked the door in.”

He said that whatever consent there may have been at the start, it had now largely turned to intolerance on the part of the Iraqi people.

“I don’t say that the difficulties we are experiencing around the world are caused by our presence in Iraq but undoubtedly our presence in Iraq exacerbates them,” he said.

 

What is the world coming to when the only people talking sense are the military?

[Albert Tatlock]

Time to pull back to Kuwait for a year - and then home for tea.

[LoneWolf]

Time to pull back to Kuwait for a year - and then home for tea.

It looks as if several thousand people might agree with you Albert.

A friend sent me this link today and I have to say I am more than a little shaken by its content.

Take a bit of time to search through the site.

 

Iraq Casualties