TONY Blair’s advisers privately questioned if the US had “proper political control” of military operations in Iraq, newly released documents have revealed.
Papers released to the National Archives in west London show that George Bush believed he was on a “mission from God” against Iraqi insurgents, with the then-US deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage telling the UK ambassador, Sir David Manning, that Bush needed a “dose of reality”.
The former president demanded US forces “kick ass” in Falluja in April 2004, where troops were engaged in battle with Iraqi militants after four private military contractors were ambushed and killed.
The mutilated bodies of four US contractors were hung from a bridge over the Euphrates River, less than one year after the May 2003 overthrow of the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
Fears were raised that an intense US military response could damage hopes of establishing an independent Iraqi administration.
A briefing document from No10 ahead of Blair’s Washington visit in April 2004 revealed it was “nervous” about the US military’s response.
The document read: “Publicly we will want to underline our continued commitment to seeing the task through, but privately we will need to deliver some difficult messages to Bush about the need for a more measured approach by the US military, under proper political oversight, and the need for a clear end to the occupation on July 1.”
It added: “The prime minister might question Bush on whether there is proper political control of military operations,” and concluded: “In short, too many military officers talking tough to a US audience, with little attention to the effect on an Iraqi or regional audience.”
Bush eventually backed off after being “faced with this ‘dose of reality," Manning reported back to No 10 at the time.
He wrote: “Rich[ard Armitage] summed it all up by saying Bush still thought he was on some sort of mission from God. But that recent events had made him ‘rather more sober’.”
The US lost 27 troops in Falluja at that time, while around 200 insurgents and 600 Iraqi civilians were thought to have been killed.
Coalition forces took the city in a second offensive launched in November 2004.
US troops remained in Iraq until 2011.
