Inquiry blames Cameron for rise of Isis
An ‘‘opportunistic’’ David Cameron led a botched intervention in Libya that caused the rise of Islamic State in north Africa, a British parliamentary inquiry has concluded.
The former prime minister was ‘‘ultimately responsible’’ for the failure of the 2011 bombing campaign, according to the foreign affairs committee. He relied on poor intelligence as he allowed an operation designed to protect civilians to ‘‘drift’’ into a campaign to remove Libyan dictator Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.
The report’s publication comes two days after Cameron surprised Westminster by standing down as an MP.
Britain and France led air strikes on Libya after an uprising triggered by the Arab Spring. The threat of further violence by Gaddafi spurred Western powers to take action, but since then thousands of people have been killed, and unrest continues to this day.
The report said the chief of the defence staff at the time, General Lord Richards of Herstmonceux, ‘‘disassociated himself’’ from the government’s claim that the operation was in the national interest.
It accuses Cameron of backing regime change without a coherent strategy for the country after the removal of Gaddafi.
‘‘By the summer of 2011, the limited intervention to protect civilians had drifted into an opportunist policy of regime change. That policy was not underpinned by a strategy to support and shape post-gaddafi Libya,’’ it said.
‘‘The result was political and economic collapse, inter-militia and inter-tribal warfare, humanitarian and migrant crises, widespread human rights violations, the spread of Gaddafi regime weapons across the region and the growth of [Isis] in north Africa.’’
The criticism echoes remarks by United States President Barack Obama this year that Britain and France had not done enough to ‘‘follow up’’ after the conflict. Cameron became ‘‘distracted by other things’’, Obama claimed.
The MPS’ 49-page report on Libya also found that Britain:
Failed to identify that Islamist extremists were among the rebels supported by RAF warplanes and special forces.
Failed to see that the threat to civilians posed by Gaddafi was ‘‘overstated’’.
Failed to encourage France to heed a military plan to pause air strikes and attempt diplomacy once Benghazi, Libya’s second city, had been saved.
Missed an opportunity to exploit relations between former British PM Tony Blair and Gaddafi, which could have resulted in the dictator handing over power.
Drew up post-conflict plans to stabilise Libya that were not based on reality, with one minister describing them as ‘‘fanciful rot’’.
Failed to secure weapons and ammunition worth billions of pounds after the collapse of the regime, which had ‘‘increased terrorism’’ across the region.
In March 2011 Cameron, who had been elected as prime minister the previous year, and Nicolas Sarkozy, the more experienced president of France, convinced the United Nations Security Council to authorise air strikes against Gaddafi’s forces as they closed in on Benghazi. The US also played a key role.
Seven months later Gaddafi was captured hiding in a drainpipe west of the city of Sirte. He was killed by a mob.