Time to End the Iraq Nightmare
20 Mar 2006
After three years and as many as 180,000 dead, the Iraq nightmare must be brought to an end, Congress General Secretary David Begg said today (March 20)
In a statement to mark the third anniversary of the invasion and occupation of Iraq, Mr Begg remarked:
"Congress vigorously opposed this war from the outset, as did the majority of people the world over. We take no comfort from the fact that it has turned out to be a far greater disaster than even we feared - disastrous for the Iraqi people, the citizens of the US and UK and the global community.
"To date, up to 180,000 innocent people may have died as a result of the ideological obsessions of the current US administration. It has also led to the death of 2,300 US troops, sent to die in war without rhyme or reason. An additional 17,000 US troops have been maimed and wounded, while the UK has lost over 100 soldiers.
"And this horrendous waste of human life has cost in excess of $500 billion, with the cost of the ongoing occupation adding an extra $6 billion every month. It is a horrific waste of human life and resources.
"The war is wrong, illegal and was based on a lie. In fact, the enduring and defining image of this whole sorry affair will probably be the depravity and brutality of Abu Ghraib.
"The very real possibility of Iraq degenerating into civil war is the ultimate nightmare scenario. Disengaging in this context is highly-problematic, but equally, using the prospect of civil war to justify continuing the occupation is wrong. A clear statement of intent to withdraw as soon as conditions of stability will allow is the only morally viable option.
"Such a statement would also deprive those behind the current wave of atrocities of the justification for their campaign."