By IRNA,
London : The year-long inquiry into Britain’s involvement in the Iraq war announced Wednesday it was inviting UK veterans to submit evidence on the conflict.
The inquiry chair Sir John Chilcot said there would be a meeting held at Tidworth Garrison in Wiltshire, western England, on September 14 for UK military personnel past and present who served in Iraq between 2003 and 2009.
“The purpose of this event is to gain insights from those who are in a unique position to talk about how the campaign was conducted and the impact it had upon their lives,” Chilcot said.
“This event is an opportunity for you to ensure that your voice is heard and your views feed into the lessons that the inquiry identify,” he said in an open letter to war veterans.
The five-strong inquiry panel previously heard from some UK Iraq veterans earlier this year. Members have also met families of some of the British troops who died in the war, including some who want former prime minister Tony Blair prosecuted for war crimes.
Evidence has so far been taken by over 140 witnesses, including from senior politicians, military officers and civil servants, with the second series of public hearings ending last month.
Chilcot has said that there may be extra hearings in the autumn, when previous witnesses – potentially including former prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown – could be recalled to be further questioned.
The inquiry, he insisted was to “establish a reliable account of the UK’s involvement in Iraq between 2001 and 2009 and to identify lessons for British Governments facing critical decisions or operations overseas of a similar kind in the future.”
“As we have said repeatedly, the Inquiry is not a court of law; no one is on trial,” the former civil servant said, indicting that it was also unlikely ro rule whether it considered the war was legal when it reports at the beginning of 2011.