Iraq now an Al-Qaeda battleground, British report says
Thu Jul 29,12:04 PM ET
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LONDON (AFP) - The US-led coalition's failure to restore security has turned Iraq (news - web sites) into a battleground for the likes of Osama bin Laden (news - web sites)'s Al-Qaeda network, a British parliamentary committee said.
In a major report on the war on terrorism, the House of Commons foreign affairs committee said the lack of law and order had created a "vacuum" for criminals and militias, with "appalling consequences" for the Iraqi people.
It added that Iraq's own police and armed forces are still "a long way from being able to maintain security," and warned that ongoing violence could mar elections planned for early next year.
"We conclude that the violence in Iraq stems from a number of sources, including members of the former regime, local Islamists, criminal gangs and Al-Qaeda," the committee said.
"Iraq has become a 'battleground' for Al-Qaeda, with appalling consequences for the Iraqi people," it added.
"However, we also conclude that the coalition's failure to bring law and order to parts of Iraq created a vacuum into which criminal elements and militias have stepped," it said.
It blamed an "insufficient number of troops" for contributing to the breakdown in security, adding that it was "disappointing" that some countries -- which it did not name -- had not committed forces to Iraq.
"It is therefore of the utmost importance that current problems are resolved in favour of the forces of order and that those who seek to impede Iraq's transition to a free and democratic state are defeated."
The 181-page report was published by the 13-member cross-party committee a month and a day after the June 28 handover of sovereignty to a interim Iraqi administration in Baghdad.
It also came just a day after a suicide bombing outside a police station and a wave of attacks around the Iraq left more than 120 dead.
Titled "Foreign Policy Aspects of the War Against Terrorism," the report was likely to give fresh ammunition to critics of Prime Minister Tony Blair (news - web sites)'s decision to join the US invasion of Iraq in March last year.
"No one can pretend that everything in the country is going well," Donald Anderson, a member of Blair's governing Labour party who chairs the foreign affairs committee, told reporters.
Asked whether the Iraq war had increased the threat of terrorism, Anderson replied: "Clearly there are elements of Al-Qaeda that are there that were not there before."
Echoing the current view of Blair's government, the report said Al-Qaeda remains "a very serious threat" both to Britain and its interests.
Blair is on holiday outside Britain this week, but he has been hoping that Iraq will fade from the public spotlight as his governing Labour party gears up for a general election likely to be held next year.
On the way forward in Iraq, the foreign affairs committee's report said it was "highly desirable that elections proceed on schedule" to foster confidence in Iraq's move towards democracy.
"However, we are concerned about the impact that the security situation could have on the validity of the election process," it said.
It asked British government to explain what plans it has, both with Iraq and with the United Nations (news - web sites), to beef up security for the polls, due to take place before the end of January.
"We further recommend that the government encourage states that remain reluctant to commit troops to counter-insurgency operations in Iraq to send forces to assist with the elections." |
