Former army chief blames US over Iraq mistakes

A former head of the British Army has claimed that “appalling” judgments by the US may have doubled the time it has taken to get Iraq into its current position.

General Sir Mike Jackson accused Washington of fuelling violence after the invasion by disbanding local security forces and rooting Baath party members out of public administration roles.

His comments, in today’s Sunday Telegraph, came after Gordon Brown announced plans on Wednesday for the final drawdown of British troops from Iraq six years after they went in.

Gen Jackson, who was chief of the general staff at the time of the 2003 invasion, said the “initial euphoria” of toppling Saddam Hussein had quickly given way to factional violence and anger at the lack of economic progress.

He went on: “This volatile situation was much exacerbated by the security vacuum created by Washington’s appalling decisions to disband the Iraqi security forces and to de-Baathify the public administration to a very low level; the latter marginalised the very people who were best placed to help.

“These decisions may well have doubled the time it has taken to get to where we are now.”

Gen Jackson said it was impossible to know what would have become of Iraq if Saddam had been left in power, but that he was sure the country was in a better place for the invasion.

He said: “It has been a long, hard and controversial campaign, but I believe it has largely succeeded.

“If none of this had taken place, if Saddam Hussein had remained in despotic power – no doubt to be followed by his despicable sons – where would Iraq be?

“We will never know, but I cannot think that Iraq would be a better place, nor that the Iraqi people would wish for such a fate.”