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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Martin Chulov in Baghdad

A bloody delusion: how Iraq war led to catastrophic aftermath in Middle East

US Marines arrive to help Iraqi civilians pull down a statue of Saddam Hussein, Baghdad, Iraq
US marines arrive to help Iraqi civilians pull down a statue of Saddam Hussein, Baghdad, Iraq. Photograph: Sean Smith/The Guardian

In Baghdad’s heart of power, Iraq’s prime minister arrives at work each day in a building once used by Tariq Aziz, Saddam Hussein’s close adviser and foreign minister. The ruins of a Saddam-era defence building still teeter next door, 20 years after an American bomb crashed through its roof at the start of the invasion.

Not far away, the green dome of the Republican Palace – built on the orders of King Faisal II, then used by Iraq’s dictator before being occupied by the US army – sits on top of the still-standing totem of Iraq’s history.

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