Excerpt: "Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Sunday that the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq helped create the Islamic State group."



Former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan. (photo: AFP)

Kofi Annan: US Invasion of Iraq Created Islamic State

By teleSUR

Kofi Annan said the breakup of the country left it ripe for the growth of violent extremism.

ormer U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Sunday that the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq helped create the Islamic State group.

Annan issued the remarks during a speech at the Munich Security Conference in southern Germany.

“I was against this invasion and my fears have been founded. The breakup of the Iraqi forces poured hundreds if not thousands of disgruntled soldiers and police officers onto the streets,” said Annan.

The former U.N. chief noted that some of these former members of the security forces later joined the Islamic State group.

His comments followed the release of President Barack Obama’s new U.S. National Security Strategy on Friday, which advocates for increased military spending and an end to congressionally mandated budget caps to ensure the "necessary investment in our military forces."

"Although our military will be smaller, it must remain dominant in every domain," the security document stated. Currently, there are around 4,500 US troops in Iraq with talks on further troops being sent.