Tony Blair: Iraqi death toll not our fault

Tony Blair has argued the growing death toll after the invasion in Iraq was not down to a lack of coalition planning, but terrorist groups in the country.

Iraq inquiry panel member Professor Sir Lawrence Freedman referred to an army general's report that suggested militias had filled the gap where there were low numbers of troops on the ground, saying it seemed "a very heavy price to pay for the lack of preparation".

Sir Lawrence said the invasion had not brought security to the Iraqi people, and the documented monthly death toll for January for civilian deaths had risen yearly from 517 in 2004 to 2807 in January 2007.