Families of Iraq war dead hear Chilcot's findings

Families of some of the 179 Britons killed during the Iraq war have been reacting after the long-awaited report into the conflict was published on Wednesday.
By The Newsroom
Published 6th Jul 2016, 11:42 BST
Updated 25th Aug 2016, 18:58 BST
Composite image of the 179 troops that died during the conflict in IraqComposite image of the 179 troops that died during the conflict in Iraq
Composite image of the 179 troops that died during the conflict in Iraq

Several grieving mothers, fathers, partners and other family members streamed into the Queen Elizabeth II centre in London where they were given an early glimpse of the 2.6 million-word, 12-volume tome.

In it, report author Sir John Chilcot criticised Tony Blair - the Prime Minister in 2003 who presented the case for war and led the invasion - for committing to backing US counterpart George W Bush over Iraq.

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It also criticised Government ministers’ justification for, planning and conduct of a military intervention which “went badly wrong, with consequences to this day”.

Several military operations were described in the report as “hastily prepared” and led to equipment shortages for British personnel - an issue which several victims’ families have long campaigned over.

However, the report stopped short of making a judgement on the legality of the war.

Related topics:Tony BlairIraqElizabeth IIGovernment ministersLondon