Britain went to war in Iraq before peaceful options exhausted: inquiryJuly 6, 2016 - 17:06 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Former British prime minister Tony Blair took his country into a badly planned, woefully executed and legally questionable war in Iraq in 2003, according to the findings of a long-delayed inquiry into Britain's role in the conflict, AFP reports. The Chilcot report found the decision to join the U.S.-led invasion was taken before all other options had been exhausted and on the basis of false intelligence. Blair faced particular criticism after pledging to support US president George W. Bush the year before the invasion "whatever" happened and failing to ensure "there was a flexible, realistic and fully resourced plan". More than 150,000 Iraqis had died by the time most British troops withdrew in 2009, while 179 British soldiers also lost their lives. The country remains plagued by sectarian violence. Responding to the report in a short statement Blair insisted he had acted in Britain's "best interests." "Whether people agree or disagree with my decision to take military action against Saddam Hussein, I took it in good faith and in what I believed to be the best interests of the country." Britain's scarring experience in Iraq has made it deeply wary of committing ground troops to international military interventions in countries like Syria and Libya, AFP says. Unveiling the 2.6 million-word report, which took seven years to complete, inquiry chairman John Chilcot said it was "an account of an intervention which went badly wrong, with consequences to this day". More than 100 anti-war protesters gathered outside the conference centre where the report was published, with many shouting: "Blair lied, thousands died" and "war criminal Tony Blair." Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide. Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed. Azerbaijan razes historic Armenian church to ground Azerbaijan has demolished the historic Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (known as Kanach Zham). Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills |