US has not learned lesson from Iraq

Tuesday will mark the 10th anniversary of the start of the US-led invasion and occupation of Iraq. A decade ago, along with many other people, I was against this. However, the strong worldwide opposition did not prevent a US-led war being waged in Iraq on the pretext of stopping Saddam Hussein from gaining weapons of mass destruction.

The war in Iraq from 2003 to 2011 was a tragedy, not just for Iraqis but also for Americans; and indeed for the rest of the world as well.

According to figures from the US Department of Defense, by Aug 31, 2010, when the last US combat troops left Iraq, 4,421 US service personnel had been killed, of which 3,492 were killed in action. Almost 32,000 had been wounded in action. Since then, 66 have died, of which 38 were killed in action, and 305 have been wounded in action.