Reaping the whirlwind: Iraq and terrorism

The Observer has seen the Home Office narrative (first draft) which is what we have been told we are getting instead of a public enquiry into July 7, and it is official: the link between Iraq and July 7th.

''Despite attempts by Downing Street to play down suggestions that the conflict has made Britain a target for terrorists, the Home Office inquiry into the deadliest terror attack on British soil has conceded that the bombers were inspired by UK foreign policy, principally the decision to invade Iraq. ''

''Initial drafts of the government's account into the bombings, which have been revealed to The Observer, state that Iraq was a key 'contributory factor'. The references to Britain's involvement in Iraq are contained in a section examining what inspired the 'radicalisation' of the four British suicide bombers, Sidique Khan, Hasib Hussain, Shehzad Tanweer and Germaine Lindsay.
The findings will prove highly embarrassing to Tony Blair, who has maintained that the decision to go to war against Iraq would make Britain safer. ''

Ha. Remember this?

''The Foreign Office's top official warned Downing Street that the Iraq war was fuelling Muslim extremism in Britain a year before the 7 July bombings, The Observer can reveal.
Despite repeated denials by Number 10 that the war made Britain a target for terrorists, a letter from Michael Jay, the Foreign Office permanent under-secretary, to the cabinet secretary, Sir Andrew Turnbull - obtained by this newspaper - makes the connection clear.''

''However, all mention of the Iraq connection to extremism was removed from 'core scripts' - briefing papers given to ministers to defend the government's position on Iraq and terror.''

(Observer's source document .)

Finally, they cannot deny it any longer: this war has led to hatred and terror and suicide bombings in the U.K. Blair knew this risk, and he denied it, and he went ahead with the war, and he lied about the reasons for the war and the risks and consequences of the war - and people were murdered because of this.

The Sunday Times cites different sources to make similar points. From the Sunday Times, today:

''A government report, compiled by a senior civil servant using intelligence from the security services and due to be published in the next few weeks, is... expected to recognise that the July 7 bombers were motivated by the invasion of Iraq.''

''A leaked top-secret memo from the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) says the war in Iraq has “exacerbated” the threat by radicalising British Muslims and attracting new recruits to anti-western terror attacks.

''The four-page memo, entitled International Terrorism: Impact of Iraq, contradicts Blair’s public assurances by concluding that the invasion of Iraq has fomented a jihad or holy war against Britain.''

''The leak of the JIC’s official assessment — marked “top secret” — will alarm Blair as it appears to be directed at undermining the public statements in which he has denied that the war in Iraq has increased the terror threat from Al-Qaeda.''

More, from the Sunday Times today

Let's look at some background: Blair makes the case for invading Iraq in 2003 to the public in a Paxman interview with audience questions.

What is so frustrating to me is that he DOES seem to get the link between unstable states and terrorism, and with Iraq being attacked and subsequently al Qaeda' 'coming together' with Iraq to support its struggles. But he gets it totally wrong.

It is not about Saddam and WMD and al Qaeda all 'coming together' like James Bond super-baddies to take over the world with nuclear weapons, with Bin Laden cackling evilly down the batphone in his secret mountain lair to the strutting swivel-eyed Saddam in his palace, planning 'world domination by TERROR! mwah hahahah!...

Such nonsense is the stuff of stupid movies, and macho fantasies.

The reality was - and Blair was warned of this - that a chaotic, post-invasion Iraq is somewhere that al Qaeda sympathisers and hardline jihadi fighters will swarm to, keen to struggle to set up a hardline theocracy, using whatever weapons they can. Including suicide bombs. And not just in Iraq, but in the U.K too. It becomes an idealogical war, that we call a 'war on terror' - and they call 'a war on Muslims'.

A 'jihad', a 'righteous war' to both sides. And the way this 'war' is being fought is disgraceful: both sides lie, both sides bomb civilians, both sides glorify criminal acts and use a poisonous ideaology to justify murderous acts, spin propoganda to recruit young soldiers to their cause. Both sides are careless of international law and agreements about torture and the Geneva convention. Both sides are now locked down for the long run, with deadly consequences, because of stupid bloody arrogance, because they will not see what fools they are.

There is a horrifying Shakespearean symmetry about how it all began.

Two spoiled directionless sons of oil millionaires, Bush and Bin Laden, both motivated by religious fundementalism and a longing for power. Two idealogies, both of which sees human lives as disposable collateral damage to be sacrificed in the 'war' to win. Two 'shock and awe' spectaculars - 9/11 and Iraq. Two sides of the same coin, feeding the fire.

It does not have to be this way. Our leaders are suppposed to be accountable to us. Unless we hand over all our power and allow them to bully and frighten us, tag us and watch us and scare us into submission. But until that day, when our leaders are running mad, when they are in denial or lying, it is our responsibility to challenge them and bring them to account.

I don't see what else to do. Too many lives are at risk and this policy, this stupid 'War on Terror' is not working. It is making things worse. Much worse.

Please, do what you can. Engage. Debate. Protest. Care. We condemn ourselves to a bloody and unstable future if we do not make them reconsider now, and change their behaviour, admit their mistakes. The first step is official recognition of the links between the invasion of Iraq, and attacks on the U.K , including July 7th. Wilful refusal to accept this clear connection is not acceptable. Lying is not acceptable. Excuses are not acceptable. This disconnect between what we know and what the Government has denied until now, must end. Every day in Iraq is July 7th now. And July 7th will happen here, again, and again, and again, until this madness ends.

Finally, it seems, with the publication of this 'narrative', the link is made clear.

Our leaders need to stop, think, admit their faults. They need to change their behaviour and their policies. They need to learn from their mistakes. The 'narrative' is a start.

But only an independent public enquiry will reveal the full picture, and allow us to learn from what happened before July 7th, what happened on July 7th and what happened after July 7th, so that we may save lives and spare future suffering.

It is not about a blame game, it is about stopping innocent people being killed.

You can sign the petition asking for an independent public enquiry by clicking here.

And you can email your M.P by clicking here

UPDATE: Curious Hamster on the case, getting up even earlier than me at 3.14am. Or possibly not going to bed. Well, righteous anger makes it hard to sleep these days.