Lord Dannatt, a former head of the Army, cautioned against “rushing to apocalyptic judgments” about what was left of Britain’s legacy in Iraq.He said: “Our involvement was in the south and this is in the north. Are we seeing Basra in flames? No we are not. This is a problem in the Sunni north and Baghdad. “
But he acknowledged that the situation in the north appeared “very dangerous”.
He said: “It’s linked very closely to what’s going on in Syria. This is an insurgency that doesn’t respect national boundaries.”
18.39 More from the briefing in Washington now.
Reuters: STATE DEPARTMENT SAYS U.S. UNDERSTANDING IS THAT IRAQ'S BIGGEST OIL REFINERY "REMAINS UNDER CONTROL OF THE GOVERNMENT"
18.38 Ban ki-Moon, the UN secretary-general, has been speaking about the kidnapping of the Turkish diplomats and civilians in Mosul.
The UN chief told a meeting on counter-terrorism Wednesday he was "shocked" to learn of the kidnappings by "terrorists."
He urged the Iraqi government, regional countries and the international community to do everything possible to secure the safe release of the diplomats and bring the perpetrators to justice.
"This is totally unacceptable," he said.
Totally.
Total chaos, you mean.