‘Thousands of your men who couldn’t support their families.’ ibid. Lt Colonel Nate Sassaman
‘Every day Iraq is making progress. Every day Iraq draws closer to the free and functioning society its people were once denied.’ ibid. Bush
‘This is hell. This is hell on Earth.’ ibid. soldier
Despite his men being attacked daily, Sassaman continued to meet local leaders. ibid.
‘It was just punishment and retribution.’ ibid. Sassaman
‘This is not just futile, this is a catastrophe.’ ibid. soldier
‘This is not liberation activities, not peacekeeping, rebuilding, no. It’s an all-out war. They [US army] were just hardcore.’ ibid.
‘Every day all over the country at any given time there were doors being kicked in, there were guys being dragged outside, in chains, being dragged away.’ ibid.
‘This occupation humiliated every single Iraqi. It was horrific. Everyone endured suffering.’ ibid. victim
‘In a God-forsaken place clearly on the dark side now … Yeah, we were lethal.’ ibid. Sassaman
‘So it began this kind of psychotic, bloodthirsty, beginning of the Apocalypse for Iraq.’ ibid. soldier
It had been a year since George Bush claimed the Iraq war was won. But the story was far from over. After the toppling of Saddam Hussein, the old regime lost its grip on power but it was not about to give up without a fight. America found itself struggling to keep control as a violent insurgency took hold across the country. Once Upon a Time in Iraq III: Fallujah
The Bush administration began making preparations for a full-frontal attack on Fallujah. ibid.
‘The American army dropped the worst of the worst on us.’ ibid. victim
When they started the war in 2003 they wanted people to be translators with the special forces. I’m in. Once Upon a Time in Iraq IV: Saddam, translator
We were getting a lot of pressure from Washington to find Saddam Hussein. And hundreds of people are involved with this. ibid. CIA operative John Nixon
It’s not the kind of place that you could direct an insurgency from. He had a penchant for Bounty bars and Mars bars. ibid. BBC reporter at farm re capture of Saddam
He [Saddam] is acting like we are his guests. ibid. Nixon
In October 2005 Saddam and leading members of his regime began their trial for crimes against humanity. ibid. commentary
Basically, we were babysitters. Whatever he wanted he got. ibid. US guard
As the sectarian violence in Baghdad intensified, millions fled the capital. ibid.
At the end of 2011 all of the coalition forces finally left Iraq. Once Upon a Time in Iraq V: Legacy
In the two years since American troops withdrew, sectarian tensions that have driven the civil war resurfaced. All over Iraq, Sunni Muslims were protesting against the Shia-led government. ibid.
June 2014 Mosul, northern Iraq: ‘I remember at dawn I heard the sound of megaphones: We are the Islamic State in Iraq and the Lavant …’ ibid. young lady
Two days after the attack on Mosul, Isis forces pushed south to Tikrit, birthplace of Iraq’s former dictator Saddam Hussein. ibid.
Over 1,500 cadets were slaughtered by Isis. ibid.
By the end of 2014 Isis controlled many of the major cities of northern Baghdad. ibid.
American bombing intensified at the end of 2016. ibid.
The British army in 2017 finds itself in unchartered territory. They’ve not been at war for three years. After controversial campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan there’s a political reluctance to put boots on the ground. There’s also widespread opposition to military intervention. The army’s budgets are under increasing pressure. Army: Behind the New Frontlines s1e1: The Battle for Mosul, BBC 2017
But now with the rise of so-called Islamic state, the threat of a new cold war in eastern Europe, and famine and conflict in sub-Saharan Africa the British army have to play a new role in a deeply unstable world. ibid.
The army returns to Iraq where they have a bloody history. ibid.
179 British soldiers were killed in action. ibid.
When Operation Desert Storm was launched in early 1991 … I reminded myself just how greedy the superpowers of the world had become for crude oil. Tony Robinson, Britain’s Forgotten Wars I: A Storm in the Desert, Channel 4 2021
‘A lot of the families feel very forgotten.’ ibid. Mal Craighill, RAF
The seeds of the Gulf War were sown years before, rising out of the ashes of another conflict that had raged in the region. ibid.
A voice reported to be Saddam Hussein announced on Iraqi radio, ‘the Mother of all Battles has begun.’ ibid.
Uruk – the mother of all cities. Richard Miles, Ancient Worlds I: Come Together, BBC 2010
25 February 2004: Katharine Theresa Gunn: you are charged with an offence contrary to section 1, subsection 1, of the Official Secret Acts of 1989. Official Secrets 2019 starring Keira Knightley & Matt Smith & Matthew Goode & Rhys Ifans & Adam Bakri & Indira Varma & Ralph Fiennes & Conleth Hill & Tamsin Greig & Hattie Morahan et al, director Gavin Hood, opening scene in court
What we know is that he has this material. ibid. Blair on tele
Are the Yanks really asking us to dig up personal shit on US Security Council delegates? Christ, the want to fix the vote. ibid.
If I could get you a copy of the memo then maybe you could get somebody to look it over. ibid. Katharine to friend
Revealed: US dirty tricks to win vote on Iraq war. ibid. Observer headline
In light of recent developments, the Prosecution will offer no evidence against the defendant on this indictment. ibid.
In 2010 Lord Goldsmith’s advice to Tony Blair at the time Katharine leaked the memo was made public. Goldsmith had clearly advised war would be illegal without a new UN Security Council resolution. Estimates of Iraqis killed during the first four years of the Iraq War range from 151,000 to over 1 million. Countless more were wounded. Over 4,600 US and British soldiers died. ibid. captions
Iraq: The US fought to make the country a neo-colony for bases and resource extraction. The Empire Files: Never Forget: Lessons of the Post 9/11 Warpath, Abby Martin online, Youtube
‘The safety of America depends on the outcome of the battle in the streets of Baghdad.’ ibid. Bush
The war was sold to the American people based on falsehoods and lies.’ War of Lies: How to Sell an Invasion, Joe Wilson, Youtube 51.15, 2022
In the ruins of New York, America vows to defeat terrorism. But this promise is quickly betrayed. George Bush changes enemies. Osama bin Laden is replaced by Saddam Hussein. ibid.
For months this deadly [Iraq] arsenal will by at the heart of the manipulation. ibid.
Saddam Hussein’s arsenal had been destroyed after the Gulf War. ibid.
The collusion between Iraqi exiles and Neo-Conservatives becomes cooperation. ibid.
The machinery of lies runs at full throttle for months. ibid.
More than 4,400 US service members and approximately 200,000 Iraqi citizens have died in the Iraq War. Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror IV: The Good War, Netflix 2021
As for Saddam’s accused conspirators, they were hustled outside and strapped to stakes. Corridors of Power: Should America Rule the World? s1e1: For Every Insect There is an Insecticide, BBC 2024
The mountains, say the Kurds, are our only friends. ibid.
Saddam knew no limits. Iraq’s failure on the battleground led him to double down … Iraqi gunners were using mustard gas … Iraqi soldiers had been using nerve gas. ibid.
Chemical Ali was determined to solve Iraq’s Kurdish problem once and for all. ibid.
Iraq was massacring its own citizens with chemical weapons. ibid.
His war had not turned out as Saddam expected. Instead of Iran’s oil fields, Iraq was left with a vast debt, its economy in shambles. ibid.
Now, from Basra to Erbil ordinary people took up arms and surged into the streets. ibid.
People were angry that George Bush had called for an uprising and was doing nothing to help. ibid.