UK’s Defence chief gags Iraq criticism report
May 28th, 2010 - 5:58 pm ICT by ANILondon, May 28 (ANI): Britain’s Chief of the Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup and other officials have intervened to suppress Lieutenant General Chris Brown’s report on the lessons to be learned from the circumstances surrounding the invasion of Iraq, and are banning its release, even in the Ministry of Defence.
“Highly critical comments by a senior army officer asked to conduct a study of the circumstances surrounding the invasion of Iraq have been suppressed on the orders of the country’s top defence officials,” The Guardian reports.
The study, by Lieutenant General Brown, was commissioned in the light of mounting evidence of the failure to prepare properly for the invasion and its consequences.
It has been reported that the report is being kept away from the Chilcot inquiry over fears that its use as evidence would result in its contents being made public.
Lieutenant General Brown, who was the last Senior British Military Representative in Baghdad in 2009, would not be the first military commander to criticise Britain’s handling of the war.
Senior military figures giving evidence to the Iraq Inquiry have time after time expressed frustration at the secrecy, delays and failures experienced in the run up to the invasion and the lack of planning for its aftermath.
“Lt Gen Chris Brown has led a small team in the production of an internal, classified MoD paper examining the Iraq campaign for the purpose of learning lessons for the future,” said a Ministry of Defence Spokesperson.
“As part of the routine staffing of such an important piece of work, a variety of military officials and civil servants have provided input during the paper’s development,” he added.
“Defence is far too important, a matter of life and death, to get too sensitive about potential embarrassment,” said Colonel Richard Kemp, a former commander of British forces in Afghanistan and commentator on military matters.
The Chilcot inquiry is expected to resume public hearings at the end of June or early July. (ANI)
- Tony Blair was offered final chance to avoid Iraq invasion, Chilcot inquiry told - Jan 21, 2011
- British PM to face 'politically risky' Iraq inquiry - Jan 22, 2010
- US-UK alliance in Iraq was marked by tension: Report - Nov 23, 2009
- UK held secret war talks with U.S. general 11 months before Iraq invasion - Oct 03, 2010
- 'Tony Blair misled Brit MPs over going ahead with Iraq invasion without UN backing' - Jan 18, 2011
- Blair could have pulled troops back on brink of 2003 invasion of Iraq: Straw - Feb 03, 2011
- Iraq invasion was 'right decision': British PM - Mar 05, 2010
- Blair expresses regret for Iraq war victims - Jan 22, 2011
- Secret memos expose link between UK Govt, oil firms and invasion of Iraq - Apr 19, 2011
- Former British commanders accuse Brown of misleading Iraq war inquiry - Mar 06, 2010
- Iraq war inquiry opens, NRI in inquisition panel - Nov 24, 2009
- Iraq war victims' relatives shout, "it's too late" as Blair regrets loss of lives - Jan 22, 2011
- Lessons learned in Iraq were not being applied in Afghanistan: Ex-British General - Dec 10, 2009
- 6 in 10 Brits believe Brown lied about Iraq war funding - Mar 19, 2010
- Iraq war illegal, Tony Blair was told - Jul 02, 2010
Tags: air chief marshal, army officer, chris brown, civil servants, colonel richard, critical comments, defence officials, defence spokesperson, defence staff, invasion of iraq, iraq campaign, lieutenant general, military commander, military figures, military matters, military officials, ministry of defence, richard kemp, sir jock stirrup, time after time