A British Army officer who won praise for a rousing speech to troops in Iraq has accused the US and UK of failing to plan for after the war.
Colonel Tim Collins, who has now left the Army, said they should have given more thought to what would happen after Saddam Hussein was deposed.
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Col Collins told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that in hindsight he had questioned the coalition's motivation for attacking Iraq when preparations for the aftermath were not made.
"There was very little preparation or thought for what would follow on after the invasion itself," he said.
"Nature abhors a vacuum and so do politics. If you knock something down you must be prepared to put something in its place or live with the consequences."
He said the evidence pointed towards the invasion being a "cynical war" inevitable to vent anger on Saddam Hussein's regime, with no regard to the consequences for Iraqis.
"In which case it's a form of common assault," he said.
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