LONDON — Former Prime Minister Tony Blair said yesterday that British forces should be proud of their role in the US-led invasion of Iraq, citing what he claimed was major social and economic progress since the toppling of Saddam Hussein in 2003.
Blair said Iraq was likely to be one of the world’s fastest-growing economies over the next decade.
He also hailed drastically lower child-mortality rates and trumpeted developments in the southern city of Basra, where most UK forces were based after the invasion.
However, making a rare speech on Iraq — the most divisive issue of his decade in power — the ex-leader acknowledged that parts of the country continued to suffer from terrorism and destabilizing political tensions.
Underscoring the security challenges, two car bombs exploded yesterday around Baghdad, killing four people and wounding at least 17, according to police and hospital officials.
Blair, elected in 1997, faced huge street protests in 2003 against Britain’s involvement in the war, and was dogged by accusations that he had shown blind subservience to President George W. Bush.
Despite that, Blair went on to win the 2005 British election, although with a reduced majority.