The closure of Britain’s consulate in Basra marks the end of an inglorious episode in our military history. This ought to have been the city where Britain would forever be seen as the liberator, given that it was our troops who supplanted Saddam Hussein’s forces almost ten years ago. Instead, Basra’s darkest moments came after the invasion: death squads moved in to fill the security vacuum Britain left behind. Our government failed to commit enough resources to make Basra safe. The massacres, executions and tortures that followed Britain’s withdrawal were brought to an end only when the Iraqi army reinvaded Basra. Tony Blair and Gordon Brown were so determined to present a narrative of success that they refused to admit to any setback.
The untold scandal of Iraq is not of the lies that took us in, but the lies told to get us out. Britain eventually justified withdrawal by pretending we were officially handing over to a peaceful Iraqi government and a brand new police force. In fact, we were scarpering from a city we had long ago handed over unofficially to Muqtada al-Sadr’s private army. We had just 200 troops patrolling a city of 1.3 million, with predictable results. As circumstances in other parts of the country showed, such an outcome was not inevitable — it was, effectively, a choice. As our enemies looked on with glee, our allies watched in horror.
As David Cameron prepares a retreat from Afghanistan, he faces the same nightmare. There can be no doubt over the nature of the Taleban regime to whom we would be passing control. A Pakistani girl from the Swat Valley lies in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, making good progress after doctors removed the bullet that was put in her head by the Taleban as punishment for writing an online diary about girls’ education for the BBC.
Comments
Join the debate for just £1 a month
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for £3.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just £1 a monthAlready a subscriber? Log in