The British public inquiry into the 2003 Iraq war, also known as Chilcot Inquiry, faces further delay as the head of the probe says the final report is expected by the next summer.
On Thursday, Sir John Chilcot announced that the two million word report would be ready in June or July 2016. “I consider that once national security checking has been completed it should be possible to agree a date for publication in June or July 2016,” he said.
The inquiry which has cost tax payers more than £10 million pounds was set up by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown in 2009 and initially expected to submit its report within a year. Chilcot has, time and again, cited complexities involved in the process.
The five-member panel is looking into the decisions made in the run-up to the start of the Iraq war and how the then Prime Minister Tony Blair decided to support the US-led invasion.
The inquiry is considering how UK forces came to participate in the invasion and its aftermath. A total of 179 British soldiers were killed in Iraq between 2003 and 2010.