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Iraq deaths 'difficult' - Browne Iraq deaths 'difficult' - Browne
(about 1 hour later)
Former defence secretary Des Browne has spoken of the personal strain he felt when members of the British armed forces were killed in Iraq.Former defence secretary Des Browne has spoken of the personal strain he felt when members of the British armed forces were killed in Iraq.
Mr Browne told the Iraq inquiry he found it "difficult to come to terms" with the deaths of personnel during his time in office between 2006 and 2008. It was "difficult to come to terms" with fatalities as he had no military background, he told the Iraq inquiry.
At that time, the UK had 7,000 troops in Iraq and sustained mounting casualties as violence increased. He rejected claims that a lack of helicopters impaired British operations in Iraq between 2006 and 2008.
But Mr Browne said the upsurge in attacks did not alter UK strategy. But he suggested service families were unhappy with him simultaneously holding the job of Scottish secretary.
Gordon Brown asked him to do both jobs when he became prime minister in July 2007 and Mr Browne said such an arrangement would not be advisable in future.
Troop welfare
Mr Browne is the second former defence secretary to give evidence to the Chilcot inquiry, which is looking into the background to the 2003 invasion and its aftermath.Mr Browne is the second former defence secretary to give evidence to the Chilcot inquiry, which is looking into the background to the 2003 invasion and its aftermath.
Geoff Hoon, defence secretary in the run-up to and during the war, has already given evidence while Mr Browne's successor, John Hutton, will face questions later on Monday. Geoff Hoon, defence secretary in the run-up to and during the war, has already given evidence while Mr Browne's successor, John Hutton, is now facing questions.
Mr Browne described his responsibility for British troops in Iraq as "awesome" and said concern about troops' welfare meant he choose to devote a lot of his time to helping the families of personnel. Mr Browne said his concerns about troops' welfare meant he chose to devote a lot of his time to helping the families of personnel.
He described how within 24 hours of taking the job in 2006 five British soldiers were killed when their Lynx helicopter was shot down. But he said "perceptions" of his efforts were hampered after Gordon Brown asked him to combine the role as defence secretary with that of secretary of state for Scotland- a dual role which was heavily criticised at the time by the opposition.
I found it difficult to personally deal with the losses of our people Des BrowneI found it difficult to personally deal with the losses of our people Des Browne
He told the inquiry that his lack of military background meant he struggled to deal with the impact of casualties. Although Mr Browne said he did not have any less time to devote to the defence brief - because he had an "able" Scottish deputy to rely upon and many Scottish issues were devolved - he said public reaction to the arrangement was "disadvantageous".
"I don't think it would be wise for any future prime minister to recreate that strategy," he said.
"Very few members of the military raised this issue," he said. "Members of [service] families did."
He said his lack of military background meant he struggled to deal with the impact of casualties such as when, within 24 hours of taking the job, five British soldiers were killed when their Lynx helicopter was shot down.
During his time in office, the UK had 7,000 troops in Iraq and sustained mounting casualties as violence increased.
"I found it very difficult to come to terms with the deaths of our people in an operational environment," he said. "I found it difficult to personally deal with the losses of our people.""I found it very difficult to come to terms with the deaths of our people in an operational environment," he said. "I found it difficult to personally deal with the losses of our people."
During his evidence on Thursday, former foreign secretary Jack Straw spoke of his "deep regret" for the "grave loss of life" in Iraq during the UK's six-year presence there.
Mr Browne said Iraq policy was "fixed" by the time he took on the job and there were no "great discussions" at that stage about the controversial 2003 invasion and its legality.
ResourcesResources
"We had the responsibility and we had to deliver on it," he said of British operations in and around Basra in the south of the country. Mr Browne acknowledged there were "concerns" within the military about the number of helicopters available to British troops in Iraq.
However, he denied there was a "gap" that had to be filled and said his efforts to source more helicopters - either from the UK's coalition partners or by refitting models previously used by the special forces for use by combat troops - were largely successful.
Mr Browne said the decision to deploy thousands of British troops to southern Afghanistan in 2006 did have an "impact" on the operation in Iraq, as it "increased pressure on a finite level of resources".Mr Browne said the decision to deploy thousands of British troops to southern Afghanistan in 2006 did have an "impact" on the operation in Iraq, as it "increased pressure on a finite level of resources".
But he said he had never come under any pressure from the military or No 10 to divert troops or equipment from Iraq to Afghanistan.
Mr Hoon told the inquiry last week he opposed the decision to commit UK troops to the Nato mission in Helmand province, saying he felt it was not sustainable to mount two major operations at the same time.Mr Hoon told the inquiry last week he opposed the decision to commit UK troops to the Nato mission in Helmand province, saying he felt it was not sustainable to mount two major operations at the same time.
Mr Browne said he had never come under any pressure from the military or No 10 to divert troops or equipment from Iraq to Afghanistan.
However, he told the inquiry that, as things stood, he did not believe the UK had "sufficient resources" to take part in two major deployments simultaneously over a sustained period and it would require "political will" to make sure this was possible.
Ex-prime minister Tony Blair is to give evidence to the inquiry on Friday while ex-attorney general Lord Goldsmith will also appear this week.Ex-prime minister Tony Blair is to give evidence to the inquiry on Friday while ex-attorney general Lord Goldsmith will also appear this week.