British PM Announces Probe Into Iraq War

Today, Britain’s Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced that an independent probe into the 2003 Iraq war would take about a year to complete.

Brown stated to the House of Commons:

“I am today, announcing the establishment of an independent privy councilor committee of inquiry. It will consider the period from summer 2001, before military operations began in March 2003 and our subsequent involvement in Iraq right until the end of July this year. “

However, the inquiry will be held in private not in public as requested by many MP’s. Some observers view the announcement as a political move, from Brown, to distract the British public opinion from his very low approval rating and the economic crisis.

This from Al-Jazeera:

There had been increasing pressure from the public, opposition politicians and members of the ruling Labour party for an investigation into the war which was launched in March 2003.

Several politicians and some relatives of UK soldiers killed in Iraq had called for the inquiry to take place in public.

This is Gordon Brown full statement.