Tony Blair: Invasion of Iraq Contributed to Rise of ISIL

© AP Photo / Jim MacMillan, FileUS Marines from the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, run to a building after detonating explosives to open a gate during a mission in Ramadi in Anbar province, Iraq
US Marines from the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, run to a building after detonating explosives to open a gate during a mission in Ramadi in Anbar province, Iraq - Sputnik International
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Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair said that US-led intervention to Iraq in 2003 contributed to the rise of ISIL.

Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun, right, walks with defense attorneys Maj. Phillip E. Stackhouse, left, and Capt. Brandon Bolling for the first day of the Article 32 pre-trial investigation, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2004, at Camp LeJeune, N.C. Hassoun is charged with desertion after he disappeared from his unit in Iraq and later claimed to be kidnapped. - Sputnik International
Washington Left Vacuum in Iraq Spawning ISIL Creation - US Senator
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — US-led intervention to Iraq in 2003 contributed to the rise of the Islamic State (ISIL) militant group, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair told CNN in the interview that is expected to be revealed on Sunday.

“I think there are elements of truth in that. Of course you can’t say those of us who removed [former Iraqi leader] Saddam [Hussein] in 2003 bear no responsibility for the situation in 2015,” Blair said in the interview, answering the question on whether he thought invasion of Iraq led to the rise of the ISIL, as quoted by The Telegraph newspaper.

Blair added that he apologized for “wrong” intelligence and poor planning of the conflict details. However he refused to apologize for ousting Hussein from power.

The United Kingdom was part of a US-led coalition that invaded Iraq in 2003, without a UN mandate, after falsely accusing Hussein of possessing weapons of mass destruction

ISIL is an extremist group that occupies large areas of Iraq and Syria and seeks to establish a caliphate ruled by strict Sharia law on the territory under its control. The group has affiliates operating in other countries, including Yemen, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

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