The failure of the Coalition to establish law and order in Iraq has led to the country becoming "a battleground", according to a damning report by MPs. The report also warned that al Qaeda poses a "serious threat" to the UK. The Commons foreign affairs committee report looked at what impact the war on terror is having on the world's trouble spots.
MPs said the "power vacuum" in Iraq had sucked in criminals and militias with "appalling consequences", and called on more countries, particularly Islamic ones, to move troops into Iraq.
The report criticised the "insufficient" number of troops in the country and said private military and security firms had to be better regulated. Iraq's police force and army were described as "a long way from being able to maintain security."
The MPs cautioned: "We conclude that the violence in Iraq stems from a number of sources, including members of the former regime, local Islamists, criminal gangs and al Qaeda. Iraq has become a `battle ground' for al Qaeda, with appalling consequences for the Iraqi people. "We conclude that the alternative to a positive outcome in Iraq may be a failed state and regional instability.
"It is therefore of the utmost importance that current problems are resolved in favour of the forces of order and that those who seek to impede Iraq's transition to a free and democratic state are defeated." The report also voiced concerns that human rights violations by British soldiers in Iraq were kept from the Foreign Office.
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