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The UK government questioned US control over its military operations in Iraq 13 months into the war, newly leaked documents show, highlighting the Blair government’s frustrations with its most important ally.
The documents, released by the Cabinet Office on Tuesday, contained internal briefings prepared for then-Prime Minister Tony Blair that raised concerns about whether the US had a handle on its invasion tactics.
“The Prime Minister may wish to ask Bush whether there is adequate political control of military operations,” the documents said.
The briefing, which came ahead of a meeting with President George W Bush on 16 April 2004, also indicated that Britain believed that “many military officers (were) talking tough to an American audience”.
The revelations reflected the UK government’s growing frustrations with the US after the first battle of Fallujah began on April 4, which resulted in an Iraqi insurgent victory.
Blair’s decision to join the US-led invasion of Iraq damaged his approval ratings and created pressure within the party for him to resign. In 2007, Blair resigned as Labor leader after 10 years as prime minister.
A separate document from the UK embassy in Washington, sent to Number 10 after the first week of the battle, revealed that the then deputy secretary of state, Richard Armitage, had told the British ambassador that Bush had wanted “a bit of a kick” in Fallujah. .
But, he added, “faced with a dose of reality” that his actions could topple the Iraqi government, Bush had been forced to back down.
The newspaper said Armitage believed Bush “still thought he was on some kind of mission from God in Iraq” and expressed his view that the US was gradually losing ground on the battlefield and that there was “no coherent strategy” for the operations.
He then asked the British to reason with Bush that the United Nations should play an important role in establishing a political process in the country.
Before his meeting with Bush, Blair was informed by officials that Fallujah “did not show US planning at its best”, with US tactics “clumsy” and “their public announcements (turning up) the temperature”. , worsening the situation.
The British hoped to get private agreement at the meeting that the US approach “should be more measured” as it was “losing political capital” for both governments.
The documents also reveal that UK officials believed that the management of the US coalition had “never been good” since the start of the war.
The papers noted that the US believed that the Polish, Spanish and Ukrainian governments had “left their hands”. The British also expressed their frustrations with Ukraine over a perceived lack of support for the war effort.
The “Coalition of the Willing” was formed in early 2003 before the decision to invade Iraq on March 20. At its peak, it included 49 countries.
The documents came ahead of the planned political transition on June 30, in which the Iraqi interim government took control of the country from the established governing council.
The conflict finally ended in 2011 after a long insurgency by militant groups following the fall of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in 2003.
The Cabinet Office and Armitage declined to comment.
