Britain's Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has criticized America's decision to dismantle the Iraqi Army after the 2003 intervention, claiming it led to the rise of the Islamic State (ISIS).
"Many of the problems we see in Iraq today stems from that disastrous decision to dismantle the Iraqi army and embark on a programme of debaathification," Hammond told the Foreign Affairs Committee of the UK Parliament on Thursday.
"It is clear a significant number of former Ba'athist officers have formed the professional core of Daesh [ISIS] in Syria and Iraq and have given that organization the military capability it has shown in conducting its operations," he said.
Hammond was speaking after the release of the Chilcot inquiry report on the Iraq War on Wednesday. The report detailed Britain's role in the Iraq War.
When Hammond was asked about the fact that, according to the report, Britain did little to protest America's decision to have the Iraqi Army dismantled he replied:
"The reality on the ground was that Americans were a much larger contributor to the military effort and were a much larger presence. That should not stop us from expressing an opinion and arguing it forcefully but realpolitik tells me that he who contributes ten times as many troops is going to have significantly larger voice in the decision-making process."
The disbanding of the Iraqi Army by the US-led coalition which toppled the Iraqi tyrant Saddam Hussein in 2003 has been viewed retrospectively as a major error which contributed to the chaos and instability which has plagued Iraq ever since.
"Many of the problems we see in Iraq today stems from that disastrous decision to dismantle the Iraqi army and embark on a programme of debaathification," Hammond told the Foreign Affairs Committee of the UK Parliament on Thursday.
"It is clear a significant number of former Ba'athist officers have formed the professional core of Daesh [ISIS] in Syria and Iraq and have given that organization the military capability it has shown in conducting its operations," he said.
Hammond was speaking after the release of the Chilcot inquiry report on the Iraq War on Wednesday. The report detailed Britain's role in the Iraq War.
When Hammond was asked about the fact that, according to the report, Britain did little to protest America's decision to have the Iraqi Army dismantled he replied:
"The reality on the ground was that Americans were a much larger contributor to the military effort and were a much larger presence. That should not stop us from expressing an opinion and arguing it forcefully but realpolitik tells me that he who contributes ten times as many troops is going to have significantly larger voice in the decision-making process."
The disbanding of the Iraqi Army by the US-led coalition which toppled the Iraqi tyrant Saddam Hussein in 2003 has been viewed retrospectively as a major error which contributed to the chaos and instability which has plagued Iraq ever since.
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