The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
•
despite the
scale of the undertaking, the international community
would
succeed in realising the Azores vision for the social, political
and
economic
transformation of Iraq.
1178.
Above all,
it was assumed that the US, even without a convincing
post‑conflict
plan, could act as guarantor of the UK’s objectives in
Iraq.
1179.
Those
assumptions shaped continuing discussions about the
nature,
duration
and extent of the UK’s post-conflict military and civilian
deployment.
1180.
Two days
after the start of the invasion Mr Blair sought further advice
from
officials
on the size of any UK sector, the duration of the UK commitment and
the
exit
strategy.
1181.
The invasion
of Iraq began overnight on 19/20 March 2003. Military
operations
during the
invasion are described in Section 8.
1182.
Adm Boyce
issued the Execute Directive, the order to Lt Gen Reith to
implement
Op TELIC,
on 18 March.505
1183.
Lt Gen Reith
was directed to “assume the UK Phase IV AO will be centred
on
Basra”. In
line with the military plan approved by Mr Blair on 14 March,
the Directive
set clear
limits on the expansion of the UK AO during the conflict phase of
military
occupations.
It stated that, to “assist the Coalition in a timely and successful
Phase III
and to help
in shaping Phase IV conditions in the UK AO”, Lt Gen Reith should
exploit
no further
north than an east-west line running 90km south of al-Kut, ending
at a point
50km
north-east of al-Amara.
1184.
The Directive
also stated that it was Adm Boyce’s “current intent … that the
UK
should aim
to draw down its deployed force to medium scale within four months
of
commencing
offensive operations”.
1185.
Mr Hoon
placed a document setting out the UK’s Military Campaign
Objectives,
approved by
Lord Goldsmith, in the Library of the House of Commons on 20 March
(see
1186.
The Execute
Directive did not refer explicitly to the Military Campaign
Objectives,
but was
consistent with them.
505
Minute CDS
to CJO, 18 March 2003, ‘Op TELIC: Authorisation for Military
Operations in Iraq’ attaching
Paper CDS,
‘Chief of Defence Staff Execute Directive to the Joint Commander
for Operation TELIC
(Phases 3
and 4)’.
506
House of
Commons, Official
Report, 20 March
2003, column 1087.
522