LONDON, 14 October 2006 — Britain’s Army chief said his troops should be withdrawn from Iraq soon as their presence was making security worse, in bluntly worded comments seized upon by opponents of the US-led invasion three years ago.
Chief of the General Staff Richard Dannatt told the Daily Mail newspaper that postwar planning for the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq was “poor” and the presence of troops there was hurting British security globally.
The remarks, extraordinary from such a senior serving officer, could trigger political fallout on both sides of the Atlantic. The war has damaged the standing of Prime Minister Tony Blair and is a major issue for US President George W. Bush’s allies in congressional elections next month.
Although in later interviews Dannatt denied any split with Blair, he may have added to the storm by warning that overstretching the British Army in Iraq could “break it.” Britain should “get ourselves out sometime soon because our presence exacerbates the security problems,” he told the Mail. “I don’t say that the difficulties we are experiencing round the world are caused by our presence in Iraq, but undoubtedly our presence in Iraq exacerbates them,” he said.
“I think history will show that the planning for what happened after the initial successful war fighting phase was poor, probably based more on optimism than sound planning,” Dannatt said.
Iraq government spokesman Ali Al-Dabbagh said US and British troops were still needed. “The Iraqi government and the Iraqi people don’t want foreign troops to stay in Iraq indefinitely. But we believe the British and Americans are playing a positive role in Iraq and that their presence is necessary to control the security issue.”
But Dannatt’s remarks were seized upon by anti-war campaigners. Reg Keys, whose son died in Iraq, said: “Here you have an officer, at last, who is prepared to speak how it is, and not be a mouthpiece for the delusions of a prime minister.”
In Basra, where most of Britain’s 7,200 troops are based, local residents told Reuters they agreed it was time for them to go. “In the last three years, people started to look at these troops in a different way. They simply hate these troops,” said school teacher Fatima Ahmed, 35.
Hours after Dannatt’s interview appeared, he made radio and television appearances to calm the political storm. He said his remarks were taken out of context but he did not deny them. “It was never my intention to have this hoo ha, which people have thoroughly enjoyed overnight, trying to suggest there is a chasm between myself and the prime minister,” he told BBC radio.
British troops were targets in some places, but were beneficial in others, he said, insisting he was not proposing an immediate withdrawal. “I’m a soldier. We don’t do surrender... We’re going to see this through,” he said.
But he added: “I’ve got an army to look after, which is going to be successful in current operations. But I want an army in five years time and 10 years time. Don’t let’s break it on this one. Lets keep an eye on time.”
