November 16, 2008	Sunday	Ziqa'ad 17, 1429

SYDNEY, Nov 15: Australia’s former military chief has said there was no evidence to justify going to war in Iraq in 2003, a report said on Saturday.

Admiral Chris Barrie, who headed the Australian Defence Force at the time, made the comments during an interview for a new television series about former prime minister John Howard’s decade in power.

“I have to say, even up until the day I retired, I never saw any evidence that said suddenly we had to go off and do a job in Iraq,” Barrie said, as quoted by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on its website.

The ABC has produced the series, which features extensive interviews with Howard and begins airing on Monday.

Howard’s 11 years in power ended last year with a landslide election defeat by current Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.—Reuters