Former British PM, Tony Blair, Says Sorry for Iraq War and Admits War Gave Rise To ISIS

Appearing on CNN's Fareed Zakaria's GPS programme that airs on Sundays, former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, offered a partial apology for the 2003 war in Iraq; a war that has overshadowed his legacy since he left active politics.

Blair, whilst speaking to Zakaria, expressed that he was "sorry" for the "mistakes" made during the U.S. led Iraq war. However, he stopped short of offering a full apology for the war, instead stating that he has no regrets in removing former dictator Saddam Hussein from power.

A further astonishing admission by Blair was his acknowledgement that war in iraq gave rise to what we today know as ISIS.

Blair commented on the "elements of truth" that the war in Iraq caused the rise of ISIS. He went on to mention; "Of course, you can't say those of us who removed Saddam in 2003 bear no responsibility for the situation in 2015."

Blair took a decision to follow former U.S. President George W. Bush into war in Iraq; a war that has seen the deaths of countless Iraqi civilians, thousands of troops, and ongoing sectarian violence in Iraq.

"I apologize for the fact that the intelligence we received was wrong," stated Blair.

"I also apologize for some of the mistakes in planning and, certainly, our mistake in our understanding of what would happen once you removed the regime," he went on to say during the interview on CNN.

Speaking specifically towards recent British policy in the Middle East, Blair commented that it had not been a success; "We've tried intervention and putting down troops in Iraq. We've tried intervention without putting in troops in Libya. And we've tried no intervention at all but demanding regime change in Syria," he said. "It is not clear to me, even if our policy (in 2003) did not work, that subsequent policies have worked better."

When asked how he felt about being called a "war criminal" Blair responded that he did what he thought was right at the time.

"Now, whether it's right or not, that's for -- everyone can have their judgment about that," he stated.