Iraq blunders admitted

The government admitted for the first time yesterday that it failed to prepare properly for the aftermath of the Iraq war.

In response to a scathing Commons report, ministers conceded they "underestimated" the scale of the collapse of the Iraqi army and police in the wake of Saddam Hussain's fall last April.

They also accepted they had not been prepared for the uprisings and breakdown of Iraq's government machinery. Failure to anticipate early "law and order problems" was "damaging", the government stated in its response yesterday. The Commons Defence Select Committee lambasted the defence ministry earlier this year when it concluded troops had been given inadequate equipment and protection from chemical and biological attack.

The MPs also highlighted the lack of thought given to how to handle the country after a swift conflict.

The government agreed "the absence of some international organisations usually active in post-conflict situations did have some effect on immediate post-conflict efforts".

It added: "We underestimated the extent of civil disorder problems that we would face and the dislocation of Iraqi civil administrative structures."

Committee chairman Bruce George said: "I am glad the MoD now recognises there were problems in these areas. The Government acknowledges those weaknesses and makes commitments to put them right and I welcome that."

In addition, the MoD accepted its hunt for weapons of mass destruction and evidence against Saddam was hindered by the security va-cuum that followed his fall.

© Evening Standard