Former UN Secretary-General says the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 contributed to the instability and creation of the ISIS in the region.
“I spoke against it at the time and I’m afraid my concerns have been proved well-founded,” Kofi Annan said at the Munich Security Conference on Sunday.
The folly of that fateful decision was compounded by post-invasion decisions. The wholesale disbandment of security forces among other nations poured hundreds if not thousands trained soldiers and disgruntled policemen onto the streets.
The Nobel Peace laureate said the country has been facing instability ever since, adding that “the ensuing chaos has proved an ideal breeding ground for the Sunni radical groups that have coalesced around the Islamic State label.”
Earlier in January, former French Prime Minister De Villepin said that he held Western foreign policy responsible for the multiplication of terrorism hotspots around the world. He added that he regarded ISIS as the "deformed child" of this policy, which he described as arrogant and erratic.
De Villepin said that the decision by US President Barack Obama to form an international alliance to fight ISIS was ludicrous and dangerous.
"It is about time that Europe and the United States learned from the experience of the war on Afghanistan," said the French politician. "In 2001, we had one central terrorism spot. Now, after engaging in military operations for the past 13 years in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Mali, we have ended up with about 15 terrorism spots because of our contradictory policies."
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