Former UN Chief: US Invasion of Iraq Helped Create ISIL

Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said the US-led invasion of Iraq was a mistake and helped to create the ISIL terrorist group

Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said the US-led invasion of Iraq was a mistake and helped to create the ISIL terrorist group.

ISIL “I was against this invasion and my fears have been founded. The break-up of the Iraqi forces poured hundreds if not thousands of disgruntled soldiers and police officers onto the streets,” Kofi Annan told the Munich Security Conference on Sunday. He added that some of these former security force members went on to join the Islamic State.

“The aim of creating democracy without the existing institutions ushered in corrupt sectarian governments,” Annan said. He added that the country has been unstable ever since and this has proved the perfect breeding ground for radicals, who have become affiliated with ISIL.

In order to halt the spread of extremism, Annan said that governments must do more to tackle problems such as unemployment, rather than just arresting critics of the regimes.