Washington: In a scathing analysis, a former senior Pentagon official has called the war in Iraq "a major debacle" that created an incubator for terrorism and emboldened Iran.

"Measured in blood and treasure, the war in Iraq has achieved the status of a major war and a major debacle," Joseph Collins wrote in "Choosing War: The Decision to Invade Iraq and its Aftermath." Published by the National Defence University, Collins paper is striking in that it comes from one whose position from 2001 to 2004 put him near the center of decision making that led to the war.

He was deputy assistant secretary of defence for stability operations when the United States invaded Iraq, only to find itself mired in the now five year old struggle to pacify the country. Collins said the price of the war has been damage to US standing in the world, strains on the US military, and a negative impact on the war on terror, "which must now bow to the priority of Iraq when it comes to manpower, materiel, and the attention of decision makers."

"Compounding all these problems, our efforts there were designed to enhance US national security, but they have become, at least temporarily, an incubator for terrorism and have emboldened Iran to expand its influence throughout the Middle East," he wrote. As have other analysts, Collins pins the failure in Iraq on a lack of post war planning and the refusal of overconfident policy makers to commit enough troops to pacify Iraq after the invasion.

Source : PTI