Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: One was killed, another injured in a raid by an Israeli drone on the city of Khiam in South Lebanon
London views possibility of setting fire to tanker in port of friendly country to Russia to damage port infrastructure, initiate an international probe: Moscow
One of London's scenarios involves setting up accident with 'undesirable' tanker in one of the bottlenecks of maritime communications: Russian foreign intelligence agency
London plans to organize major sabotage with tankers to declare transportation of Russian oil to international shipping: Russian foreign intelligence agency
UK intelligence agencies plan to use NATO allies to launch massive raid on 'Shadow Fleet': Russian foreign intelligence agency
Palestinian Ministry of Health: Two were martyred in Israeli shelling that targeted a besieged house in the town of Qabatiya in Jenin
At least 68 dead in migrant shipwreck off Yemen: IOM
Trump: We want to feed the people in Gaza, we do not want them to starve.
US President Donald Trump: We will impose sanctions on Russia if it does not end the war on Ukraine.
Israeli media: Polls show that 52% oppose Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while only 29% support him.

Supporting Iraq war 'one of my deepest regrets': Ex-UK State Secretary

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: News websites
  • 28 May 2023 16:33
  • 1 Shares
4 Min Read

The former top diplomat says his voting in favor of the UK joining the war was a "serious mistake".

  • x
  • Supporting Iraq war 'one of my deepest regrets': Former UK secretary
    Former UK Foreign Secretary and sitting International Rescue Committee Chief Executive David Miliband speaks during a Reuters Newsmaker event at the Thomson Reuters building in New York City, May 29, 2015. (Reuters)

UK former Foreign Secretary admitted that the war on Iraq caused "real damage" to Western claims to advocate for a law-based international order, noting that supporting the war was "one of the deepest regrets” of his political career.

“I voted for the war, I supported the government’s position,” David Miliband, now chief of the International Rescue Committee IRC, said during the Hay festival in Wales. “There’s no question in my mind about quite how serious a mistake that was.”

Read more: UK Acknowledges War Crimes in Iraq, Does Not Take Action

The war on Iraq was “a strategic mistake”, partly due to “the global lesson that it allowed to be taught”.

“I don’t believe myself that it excuses what’s happened subsequently in Ukraine,” he added, but considered voices calling out the West as being hypocritical in its stance against Russia is a valid argument.

“I think it’s a very, very serious point.”

“Ukraine has united the west, but it’s divided the west and wider parts of the world,” he continued.

Read more: UK launches 83 military interventions since 1945: Declassified UK

While only five countries supported Russia in the UN vote, “40 or 50 countries have refused to join any condemnation, not because they support the invasion of Ukraine, but they feel that the west has been guilty of hypocrisy and weakness in dealing with global problems over the last 30 years," the former top diplomat said.

The head of the IRC urged the crowd present at the festival to read speeches made by Kenyan President William Ruto, who “talks about how the effort in Ukraine should be contrasted with the effort to tackle those other wars in other parts of the world."

Miliband stressed that the Kenyan leader, among others, argues, “Yes, Ukraine has enormous poverty and crimes against its own population, but what about Ethiopia, what about Afghanistan, what about Palestine?"

“And I think that’s what we have to take very, very seriously if we want to understand what’s the role of the west, never mind the UK, in global politics.”

Shock and death

In March 2003, former US President George Bush fabricated a lie claiming that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction and launched a UK-backed “shock and awe” bombing campaign on Iraq.

Weeks later, on May 1, Bush declared that the "mission" was accomplished. However, the US-led war was in fact far from over. Weapons of mass destruction never existed, and destruction was all that the US inflicted on Iraq, with its repercussions still evident up to this very day in 2023. 

According to figures from Iraq Body Count (IBC), 209,982 Iraqi civilians were killed between 2003 and 2022. 29,526 civilians were killed in 2006 alone, making it the bloodiest year for the Iraqi civilian death toll.

Read more: UK killed many civilians in Iraq, despite claims otherwise: Guardian

The war resulted in 3.9 million Iraqi refugees that were displaced between 2003 and 2016; 2 million of them fled the country, while 1.9 million were left displaced within Iraq.

The medical journal The Lancet estimated civilian deaths at 600,000. As for Iraqi national military forces and national and local police forces, 48,719 were killed in the period between March 2003 and August 2021. 

The numbers, however, do not account for the ones who were killed due to the destruction of healthcare systems, which caused as many deaths from malnutrition and diseases.

  • David Miliband
  • Iraq
  • Britian
  • UK
  • United Kingdom

Most Read

A rescued crew member from the ETERNITY C vessel in a video released by the Yemeni Armed Forces on July 28, 2025 (Yemeni Military Media)

Yemen Navy reveals fate of targeted Eternity C ship crew

  • Politics
  • 28 Jul 2025
An Israeli tank explodes following an ambush by al-Qassam Brigades in Gaza, Occupied Palestine, undated (Al-Qassam Military Media)

Al-Qassam strikes Israeli vehicles in Gaza, inflicts casualties

  • Politics
  • 30 Jul 2025
UAE lodges complaint against Israeli ambassador over 'misbehavior'

UAE lodges complaint against Israeli ambassador over 'misbehavior'

  • Politics
  • 1 Aug 2025
Protesters chant anti-Israeli slogans as they carry a banner that reads:" Freedom for Palestine, Alliance stop the war," during a demonstration in support of Palestinians in Gaza, outside the Israeli embassy, in Athens, Monday, June 9, 2025 (AP)

Athens mayor slams Israeli ambassador over Gaza war, graffiti claim

  • Politics
  • 3 Aug 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
A member of the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, takes part in a parade as he celebrates a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and the Israeli regime in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Sunday, January 19, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Al-Qassam: We’ll allow aid to Israeli captives if Gaza siege ends

Freed Lebanese freedom fighter Georges Abdallah during an interview on Al Mayadeen, which aired on Sunday, August 3, 2025 (Al Mayadeen screengrab)
Politics

Exclusive: Resistance key to building state, Georges Abdallah says

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres gives a statement about the situation in Gaza at UN headquarters, Friday, June 27, 2025 (AP)
Politics

UN warns Gaza faces water crisis, looming famine under Israeli siege

Israeli soldiers drive their armored personnel carrier along the Gaza Strip, in southern occupied Palestine, Wednesday, July 30, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Ex-Israeli general says Gaza starvation campaign isolated 'Israel'

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS